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One Skillet Buffalo Ranch Chicken Enchilada Bake. Quick-cooking ground chicken, seasoned with fajita seasoning and tossed in a mix of spicy buffalo sauce and smoky salsa verde. Top this saucy enchilada skillet with ranch-seasoned cheese tortillas, then bake it up in the oven. The most delicious smells, a bubbly buffalo verde sauce, and melty cheese are all tucked into this skillet meal. It’s a delicious twist on the combination of baked enchiladas and saucy buffalo chicken. Serve with dollops of ranch and avocado on top. So yummy!
I’ve said this before, but it’s the recipes that I come up with at a moment’s notice and with a little bit of a time crunch, that I end up loving most.
I’ve been wanting to make enchiladas for the last 2 weeks. I even tried two new recipes but ended up scratching them both because I did not love them. This idea came to me at the end of the day this week. I knew I really didn’t have time to fully complete the recipe from start to finish, but I tried anyway.
And while I didn’t finish the recipe to my exact liking on day one, I knew I LOVED the idea. Yes, these enchiladas are different, but it’s the buffalo sauce that really makes them special.
The details
Just like any chicken enchilada, this recipe starts with chicken, onions, and peppers. I love to use ground chicken since it’s so quick cooking.
Everything is pan-cooked in a skillet with a mix of seasonings, buffalo sauce, and salsa verde. I use a bit of fajita seasoning (you can also use taco seasoning or just chili powder), and then black pepper.
Once the chicken, onions, and peppers are cooked, add the beer. I use beer for an additional flavor boost, but you can easily replace the beer with water if you prefer.
And the key, the sauce! This is extra saucy with both buffalo sauce and salsa verde. I took inspiration from my white chicken chili, we just love this flavor combination!
For the buffalo sauce, I did a homemade sauce, but you can use one from the store as well. I always recommend Franks!
Now, the cheesy tortillas! Traditionally you would roll the tortillas up with the chicken, then place each in enchilada sauce. But I didn’t want to bother with the mess of rolling up the sauce. Instead, I rolled each tortilla up with the creamy mix that would make up a classic buffalo chicken dip: cream cheese, ranch, and then some shredded cheddar cheese.
The tortillas go right over the sauce. Then I finish this bake with a handful more of cheese and throw the whole pan in the oven.
Bake until the sauce is bubbling up around the skillet and the cheese is melted.
What ends up happening is that the tortillas get a nice crispy crunch around the edge of the skillet, but the cheese inside each melts into the creamiest ranch dip. Which of course is so delicious with any buffalo chicken recipe.
For toppings, I do dollops of salted lime yogurt, avocado, cilantro, and jalapeños. Green onions would be great too!
Simple to throw together with a nice mix of texture and flavor. You get saucy, crispy, and spicy.
The perfect game-day style enchiladas, but really great for a fun dinner with friends or family too!
Looking for other Mexican-inspired recipes? Here are a few…
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili
Mini Ranch Pretzels with Buffalo Cheese Sauce
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Lastly, if you make this One Skillet Buffalo Ranch Chicken Enchilada 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 Buffalo Ranch Chicken Enchiladas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 671 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 poblano peppers, chopped
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 cup beer (or use water)
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 6 tortillas, warmed
- avocado, limes, and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400°.2. In a large oven-safe skillet, combine the olive oil, chicken, onion, and peppers. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the fajita seasoning, then pour in the beer, the buffalo sauce, and the salsa. Simmer 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. 3. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, yogurt, parsley, chives, dill, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir in half of the shredded cheese.4. Spoon the cream cheese mix down the center of each tortilla, tuck, and roll. Place the tortillas, seam side down, into the skillet overtop of the chicken. Top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted.5. Serve warm, drizzled with yogurt mixed with lime and salt. Top with avocado, cilantro, and jalapeños. Add extra buffalo sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Buffalo Sauce: Mix 1/2 cup hot sauce, 1/2 cup olive oil or melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and a 1/2 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a glass jar or measuring cup. Mix together.
Homemade Fajita Seasoning: mix 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper. Makes 1/2 cup.
Another hit!
Thanks so much, Stephanie!!
What type of beer would you use?
Hi Ali,
I like to use a Modelo:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi! Can you use cooked shredded chicken instead of the ground chicken? And just toss it in to simmer after cooking the onions/peppers?
Hey Emily,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
Made this several times. Didn’t have poblano pepper last time I made it. Used green peppers. Tasted great.
Hi Cindy,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great Monday! xT
This was AMAZING!! We enjoyed it for the NFC championship. I used fresh herbs for the cream cheese mix and it was so great! Thank you Tieghan!
Hey there! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment as well! 🙂 xT
I normally love your recipes, but this was honestly really bad. The dill mixed with all the other spices and all the buffalo sauce just didn’t work. I do not recommend this recipe at all.
Hi Gretchen! I’m so sorry that you didn’t enjoy this recipe! Thank you for letting me know! Is there anything else specifically that I can do to help? xT
Made this dish for my crew and they loved it. Such an easy recipe and so delicious! I did omit the dill, added 1 tbsp of garlic powder, substituted red pepper for the poblano pepper and used 3/4 of the buffalo sauce (still had a bite to it). Will definitely be making this again.
Hi! Thanks so much! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Tried this recipe with my family tonight. We all thought the sauce was delicious! We weren’t huge fans of the mix in the enchiladas, especially the dill and the cream cheese. I will definitely make this recipe again, but I think I will stuff the enchiladas with mexican cheese and maybe some black beans and corn. Thanks for the yummy recipes…I’m a huge fan!!
Hey Karla,
Fantastic!!🍒🍉 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
what size skillet?
Hi Heidi,
For this recipe, I used a 12 inch skillet. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Just made it this weekend and it was a HUGE hit! Followed the recipe exactly as written, except only used 3/4 C buffalo sauce. The flavors were out of this world. Topped it with smashed avocado (with a little lime) and a drizzle of Greek yogurt to cut the heat a bit. Yummy – this one is going into the rotation!
Hey Tracey,
Happy Monday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Oooh so good! A coworker sent me this one during football season and it finally made it to the meal plan. This is a pretty substitution friendly recipie, I used cheddar cheese instead of Mexican, low carb tortillas, omitted the cilantro (didn’t have it) and phew! This. Was. Incredible. Definitely was a little heavy handed on the Buffalo sauce (did over a cup…whoops!) so will cut back to original amount, but will make again!
Hey Alena,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad it was a hit! Happy Memorial Day weekend!🇺🇸
Can you be more specific about what type of cheese to use? Also, how do you warm the tortillas?
Hi Laura,
This recipe calls for a Mexican cheese blend:) You can warm your tortillas in a microwave or on a skillet. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Have you ever assembled these ahead of time and baked them later?
Hi Jena,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
What kind of skillet are you using in these recipes? Seems like a cast iron one? Do you have a favorite brand? Thank!
Hi Sue,
You bet! I use all Staub cast iron:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx