Mexican Chicken Lasagna

This Mexican Chicken Lasagna is layered with corn tortillas, seasoned ground chicken, corn, beans, salsa, and lots of cheese. 

 

This Mexican chicken lasagna is the perfect make-ahead casserole for serving a crowd. 

I love this Mexican twist on traditional lasagna, with layers of corn tortillas instead of noodles to sandwich all of the spicy chicken, tasty sauce, and gooey cheese. Serve it with a green salad for dinner for a complete meal. Yes, it's essentially an enchilada casserole, but the layers give it the look and feel of lasagna. 

Ingredient Tips and Substitutions for this Mexican Chicken Lasagna:

You can substitute ground beef or ground turkey for the ground chicken. I don't recommend using ultra lean ground chicken, but rather a blend that is about 85 percent lean. 

For the corn tortillas, you can try substituting flour tortillas instead, or even no-boil lasagna noodles. 

For the pinto beans, feel free to substitute black beans. 

For the chipotle chile, I like to blend a small can of chipotle chiles in adobo with an immersion blender. I keep the rest in the refrigerator for adding to anything where I might use hot sauce. It adds an extra smokiness. You can also substitute your own homemade taco seasoning for the spices if you have some on hand. 

This recipe calls for mostly Monterey jack cheese with a little bit of cheddar cheese added on top. You could also substitute some pepper jack cheese if you like things extra spicy. 

How to Make this Mexican Chicken Lasagna:

First, brown the ground chicken in oil with onions, garlic, chipotle chiles, spices, and a little flour. 

Next, add chicken broth, canned or jarred green enchilada sauce (any will do but some of my favorites are La Victoria, Las Palmas, Frontera, or Siete), and rinsed canned pinto beans. Simmer the mixture for ten minutes. Stir in some frozen corn and fresh cilantro and then let the mixture cool. 

In the meantime, lightly brush corn tortillas with oil and then warm them in the microwave wrapped in a damp towel. 

After that, in a 9 inch by 13 inch casserole dish, layer the meat mixture, tortillas, and cheese three times. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. 

Finally, bake the casserole in a 400 degree F oven for 45 minutes, 30 minutes covered in foil, and 15 minutes uncovered. 

Topping and Serving Suggestions for this Mexican Chicken Lasagna:

Suggested toppings for this lasagna include sour cream, diced avocado, sliced ripe olives, chopped scallions, salsa, and/or cilantro. Serve the lasagna with a Latino-inspired melon and jicama salad for a nice balance. 

This casserole is wonderful as a main course for dinner. You can also top re-warmed leftovers with a fried egg and salsa for breakfast. 

If you love lasagna, be sure to check out Karen's Kitchen Stories more traditional lasagnas: 

Barefoot Contessa's Lasagna with Turkey Sausage

Easiest Lasagna Recipe for a Crowd

Lasagna Bolognese

Lasagna for Two

This week the Sunday Funday group is sharing recipes for "creative lasagna" coordinated by Food Lust People Love. 

• Chicken Alfredo Lasagna from Making Miracles
• Chicken Marsala Lasagna from Palatable Pastime
• Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Lasagna With Homemade Alfredo Sauce from Sneha’s Recipe
• Lasagna Bianca from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mexican Chicken Lasagna from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Pesto Lasagna with Homemade Noodles from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Pierogi Lasagna from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Vegetable Lasagna from Mayuri‘s Jikoni
• Zucchini Noodle Lasagna from Food Lust People Love

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 40 M

This Mexican Chicken Lasagna is layered with corn tortillas, seasoned ground chicken, corn, beans, salsa, and lots of cheese.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons puréed canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (10-ounce) can or jar green enchilada sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed, or canned corn, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
• 18 6-inch corn tortillas
• 12 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 to 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. In a 12 to 14 inch high sided skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook for about a minute.
2. Add the ground chicken, chipotle chiles, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, and cook while stirring and breaking it up until the chicken is no longer pink, about five minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add the broth, enchilada sauce, and pinto beans. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the corn and cilantro and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
4. In the meantime, Brush the tortillas lightly with the remaining oil, stack them on a plate, and wrap them in a damp towel. Microwave them to soften for one minute.
5. On the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish, spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Top with 6 of the tortillas and 1 cup (4 ounces) of the Monterey jack cheese. Repeat with 1/3 of the chicken mixture, tortillas, and Monterey Jack. Repeat again, but for the 3rd layer, cut the tortillas into wedges before sprinkling them over the top of the chicken mixture. Top with the last cup of cheese. Finish with the cheddar cheese.
6. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
7. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and cover the casserole with foil that has been sprayed with spray oil.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an addtional 15 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

593.68

Fat (grams)

31.89

Sat. Fat (grams)

12.91

Carbs (grams)

44.34

Fiber (grams)

7.11

Net carbs

37.25

Sugar (grams)

2

Protein (grams)

34.6

Sodium (milligrams)

996.99

Cholesterol (grams)

119.25

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2022/04/mexican-chicken-lasagna.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

enchiladas, casserole, lasagna

Main dish

Mexican

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @karenskitchenstories.com on instagram and hashtag it # karenskitchenstories

Adapted from The Make-Ahead Cook: 8 Smart Strategies for Dinner Tonight, published 2014.