Description

This Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie has layers of chicken, cheese, homemade enchilada sauce, and tortillas. Simple, mild, and delicious!

Ingredients

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For the Sauce:

2 tablespoons oil
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

For the Chicken Tortilla Pie:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons southwestern or taco seasoning
30 small corn tortillas
4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (Mozz melts the best!)
cilantro and Cotija cheese for topping

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Instructions

SAUCE: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute for 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat and add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and garlic. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until very fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken broth, garlic, and tomatoes and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is very deep red in color. Transfer (half at a time – it’s a lot of sauce) to a blender, puree, and set aside. Taste and adjust for saltiness as needed.
CHICKEN: Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoning. Heat the pan from step one over medium low heat with a little oil and add the chicken. Cook for a few minutes on each side until nicely browned. Cover with sauce and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes so the chicken finishes cooking gently in the sauce. Remove chicken from sauce and shred with two forks. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Dip five tortillas in the warm sauce and layer in the bottom of a 9-inch round skillet or baking dish. Add a scoop of chicken, a handful of cheese, and about 3/4 cup sauce. Repeat layer. End with one more layer of tortillas, a scoop of sauce, and cheese. (Now go make another one! You should be able to make two pies/skillets with this recipe.)
BAKE: Cover with foil that has been sprayed with nonstick oil to prevent it from sticking on the cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is ooey-gooey-perfection. Top with cilantro and Cotija.

Notes

This recipe is pretty mild. If you wanted to kick it up a notch, I would add a few chipotle peppers or jalapeños to the sauce.

I’ve made a version with pico de gallo layered in as well as corn – both were yummy!

Also, if you are in a pinch and you need to move quickly, you can replace the sauce with canned enchilada sauce. But I will warn you – I made it that way, too, and it’s not nearly as good as the homemade sauce.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired

Keywords: skillet chicken tortilla pie, chicken tortilla pie, skillet tortilla pie