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Weeknight style One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake…finished with all the toppings…of course! Mexican seasoned chicken, rice, and enchilada sauce all cooked together in one skillet, then topped with tortilla chips and plenty of cheese. Throw the skillet in the oven to create the perfect cheesy, one skillet, Mexican inspired chicken and rice dinner. There’s simply nothing not to love. This dish is easy, takes under an hour to make, is cheesy, and all-around delicious. The perfect meal to serve to family and friends.

One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake | halfbakedharvest.com

There are days when developing new recipes, that do not go nearly as planned. The “bad” days don’t happen often, so I’m thankful for that, but they’re never very fun when they do happen. I had a day last week where literally not one of the five recipes I was working on showed any promise. Nothing I was testing was working and the entire day was a struggle. Finally, at the end of the day, I accepted that something was clearly off and it just wasn’t my day for recipe testing.

These days happen, it’s hard not to beat myself up about them. But I’m slowly learning to accept them and attempt to move on the best I can.

Now, all that said, the one good thing I’ve noticed about bad days? Nine times out of ten, the following day ends up being so much better. As my dad always tells me, you wouldn’t know what a good day is without having the bad days.

Anyway, I’m completely rambling, but the point of this long story is that this recipe came to be after a bad day of cooking. It was almost as though I knew I needed a great recipe to make up for the previous day’s failed dishes.

Enter this one skillet chicken and rice dinner. Somehow this dish worked perfectly the very first time I tested it out. It’s probably my favorite recipe of the week. I’ve been excited to share it with you all since the day I created it.

prep photo of skillet with meat and sauce before adding the chips

Here are all the details.

As you can guess, this simple dinner is made start to finish all in one skillet. So, the very first step…find yourself a great skillet. I love using a cast iron skillet, but any oven-safe skillet or even dutch oven will work great.

Next, brown some ground chicken, turkey, or beef. Really, use whatever you love most. I typically use chicken, but when my brothers are in town, beef is always their first choice. Brown the meat, season it up, then pour in your favorite enchilada sauce and water. Bring this mix to a boil, add the rice, cover and let the rice steam for a bit. This only takes ten or so minutes. You do not need to cook the rice completely as it will finish cooking in the oven.

Now, once the rice is “al dente”, the rest is pretty simple and comes together quickly. Top the skillet full of chicken and rice with cheese, then tortilla chips, and finish with one more sprinkle of cheese. Transfer the skillet to the oven, bake until the cheese is melty and the sauce is bubbly.

And that’s it. Simple right? This dish smells incredible and tastes even better. But then, what’s not to love about Mexican rice topped with cheesy tortilla chips!?

So good!

prep photo of skillet topped with chips before baking

The secret to this skillet dinner?

It’s all about the seasoning mix plus that enchilada sauce.

For the seasoning mix, I was inspired by my quick weeknight tacos. I used smoky paprika, ground cumin, and a chipotle chili pepper in adobo. It’s just a touch spicy, a little smoky, and hinted with garlic.

For the enchilada sauce, I like to use the homemade recipe from the original HBH Cookbook, but if you’re using store-bought I typically pick up this one. It’s as close to homemade as it gets. Just be sure to use a sauce that’s high quality and one that you know you really enjoy, as it’s key in this recipe.

Let’s talk about the toppings.

I topped this skillet bake just as I would a taco, with plenty of fresh cilantro, avocado, a dollop of yogurt, and a squeeze of lime. You could even add a pickled red onion on the side if you like.

If you wanted to take the toppings a step further, I would recommend a pineapple salsa or mango salsa. But you all know me, I love a good fruity salsa. Oh, and maybe add a nice margarita too. This strawberry margarita is perfect for the springtime days ahead.

One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake | halfbakedharvest.com

What I love most about this recipe is the fact that it’s a complete dinner. It’s an all-in-one dish that everyone can really enjoy. I can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it’s equally great for a Saturday or Sunday night dinner with friends and family. I’ll be making this dish time and time again…actually, I’ve made it three times in the past week. Yep, it’s that good.

Looking for other one skillet dinner ideas…check out these. Or maybe a couple of my favorites below.

One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo

One Skillet Greek Meatballs and Lemon Butter Orzo

One Pot Creamy Tuscan Pesto and Artichoke Pasta

photo of One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake with spoon in skillet pulling up the rice to serve

Lastly, if you make this one skillet saucy chicken tortilla enchilada rice bake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 765 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

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Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
    2. In a large oven safe skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the ground chicken and onion. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeños, garlic, paprika, cumin, and salt, cook 1 minute. Stir in the enchilada sauce, chipotle chili, if using, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, stir in the rice. Place the lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it.
    3. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over the chicken/rice. Add the tortilla chips on top, pressing them gently into the cheese. Evenly sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
    4. Serve topped as desired with avocado, cilantro, and yogurt. Enjoy!
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overhead horizontal photo of One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake

This post was originally published on March 4, 2020
4.30 from 740 votes (583 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Perfect weekend night meal! My teenage son groaned when he walked in and saw that I hadn’t started dinner yet. Surprise!! Done in 35 minutes! Threw in some leftover red bell pepper too. Delicious! Chips stay crispy too!

    Reply

  2. This looks soo good! Ahh recommendations for making in the instant pot with whole chicken breasts instead of ground (it’s what I have on hand). Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Emily! I would cook everything together + 2 chicken breast in the instant pot on high pressure for 15 minutes. Obviously this is only my best guess, but I think it could work well. Add the chips and cheese after cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. This sounds so amazing! Is there any way I could just make it on the stove since our oven won’t work? Really want to try it tonight!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jean! Of course!! Just simmer on the stove and extra 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

  7. Hi!! This looks delish!! What would your suggestion be if I wanted to make this ahead and chill overnight? Thank you!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Kari! You can pre-bake this, chill, then warm just before serving. I would warm in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. If you want to be sure the chips stay crisp, you could leave those off, then add the chips + cheese just before you rewarm the bake. Either will work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Loved this! Made this yummy skillet last night for my family and there was zero left. I did add black beans, yellow pepper, and a little more rice/water bc my boys can really eat. We made your brown butter chocolate chip cookies afterward and those were a super hit ?

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    I made this for dinner this evening and my husband and I loved it! This dish is a winner, as is every dish I have made from Half Baked Harvest. The flavors are warm and spicy, then you have all the melty cheese and chips; the sour cream is the perfect foil for the spicy kick. Only thing I changed was to use part low sodium beef broth and part water rather than the two cups of water. You have hit it out of the park again! Thanks so much for sharing this and all of your recipes?

    Reply

  10. 5 stars
    WOW! This dish is so, so good! I cannot wait to make it again! The only thing I added was a red bell pepper and a cup of frozen corn. This is my new favorite recipe.

    Reply

  11. I wonder if this recipe would work with green enchilada sauce? I prefer it over the red, hands down.

    Reply

    1. Hi Kimberly! I have not tried that, but I think it should work great for you! Let me know if you try it! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    Really delicious! I used ground chicken and subbed a teaspoon of chipotle chili powder for the canned chipotle because I didn’t want to open a can and just use 1 chili. I used an all-clad non-stick skillet with a glass lid (you can see when the rice is has mostly absorbed the liquid) because my cast iron pans do not have lids. The fresh cilantro and lime juice elevate this dish, I think, so definitely don’t leave those ingredients out. So good, easy, and just one skillet to clean up—a win-win-win!

    Reply