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Mexican Lasagna is what happens when taco night and lasagna night have a baby, with layers of corn tortillas, seasoned chicken, roasted poblano peppers, a creamy blender sauce, and a blanket of melty cheese baked right in a skillet. I started making this on busy weeknights when the girls wanted tacos but I wanted leftovers, and it quietly solves both. If you love our chicken enchilada soup, this layered, cheesy bake is right up your alley.
One cast iron skillet, layers of cozy Tex Mex flavor, and a dinner the whole table actually agrees on.
Mexican Lasagna Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 50 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 449kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Smoky, cheesy, and mildly spicy Tex Mex comfort
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy to medium, a fun layered project like our taco pizza
Quick Answer
Season and sear chicken thighs, then slice them thin. Broil poblano peppers until blistered, steam, peel, and cut into ribbons. Blend tomatoes, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, lime, and sour cream into a creamy sauce. Layer corn tortillas, chicken, peppers, sauce, and Mexican cheese in a skillet, then bake covered and uncovered until bubbly and golden. It comes together in about an hour and twenty minutes.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Roasted poblanos do the heavy lifting. Broiling the peppers until blistered adds a deep, smoky flavor you just cannot get from a jar of sauce.
- Corn tortillas hold their shape. Unlike flour tortillas, corn stays sturdy between the layers so every slice cuts clean instead of turning to mush.
- A blender sauce keeps it fast. Fresh tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, and lime go straight into the blender, so the sauce is bright and ready in minutes.
- Thigh meat stays juicy. Boneless chicken thighs seared and sliced stay tender through the bake where chicken breast can dry out.
- It layers like real lasagna. Tortilla, filling, sauce, cheese, repeat. The familiar build means cozy, sliceable comfort food with a Tex Mex twist.
- Even better the next day. Like most layered bakes, the flavors settle overnight and the leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a full taco night dinner baked into one skillet, so cleanup is refreshingly simple.
- Roasted poblanos and a fresh blender sauce make it taste like it took way more effort than it did.
- It reheats like a dream and pairs perfectly with a scoop of our avocado salsa on the side.
Key Ingredients
A handful of fresh ingredients build all the smoky, cheesy flavor in this Mexican Lasagna. Here is what matters most.
- Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless thighs seared and sliced stay juicy through the bake. Breast works too but can dry out.
- Poblano Peppers: Broiled until blistered and peeled, they add mild, smoky depth that is the heart of this dish.
- Corn Tortillas: These are the lasagna noodles here. Corn holds up better than flour and keeps the layers tidy.
- Mexican Cheese Blend: A good melting four cheese blend gives you that gooey, golden top everyone fights over.
- Tomatoes and Cilantro: Blended with scallions, lime, and sour cream, they make the fresh, creamy sauce that ties it together.
- Sour Cream: Stirred into the sauce for richness and a little tang that balances the smoky peppers.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make this Mexican Lasagna your own with a few easy swaps.
- Use ground beef or turkey: Brown a pound of seasoned ground meat in place of the sliced chicken.
- Add black beans or corn: Tuck them between the layers for extra heartiness and texture.
- Crank the heat: Add a diced jalapeno or a pinch of cayenne to the sauce.
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the chicken and double the peppers, beans, and cheese.
- Top it your way: Finish with our fresh avocado salsa, extra cilantro, or sliced jalapenos.
How to Make Mexican Lasagna
- Season the chicken thighs with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper, tossing to coat evenly.
- Sear the chicken in oil over medium heat about 5 minutes per side until it reaches 165 degrees, then set aside to cool and thinly slice.
- Broil the poblano peppers on a sheet tray, turning until all sides are blistered and browned.
- Place the peppers in a bowl, cover to steam, then peel off the skins, remove the stems and seeds, and cut into thin ribbons.
- Blend the tomatoes, scallions, red bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper until smooth, then stir in the sour cream.
- In a cast iron skillet, layer tortillas, chicken, peppers, sauce, and cheese, repeating into three layers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 15 more, then add the last cheese and melt 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not rinse the peppers. Peel the blistered skin off by hand. Running them under water washes away the smoky flavor.
- Slice the chicken thin. Thin, even slices layer flatter and make for cleaner pieces when you cut and serve.
- Let it rest before slicing. Five to ten minutes out of the oven helps the layers set so slices hold together.
- Use an oven safe skillet. Cast iron goes straight from stovetop sear to oven bake, but any oven safe pan works.
- Cover for the first bake. Foil traps steam so the tortillas soften and everything heats through before the top browns.
- Make it ahead. Assemble the whole skillet, refrigerate, and bake when you are ready. Add a few extra minutes from cold.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Mexican Lasagna is a full meal on its own, but a few simple sides turn it into a fiesta. A crisp green salad or a pile of tortilla chips with our fresh avocado salsa keeps things bright against the rich, cheesy bake.
For a bigger Tex Mex spread, pair it with a cup of Chilis chicken enchilada soup to start, then bring out the skillet as the main event.
Top each slice the way your family likes it. We love extra sour cream, a handful of chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos, or a spoonful of salsa. It is also delicious next to skirt steak tacos on a build your own taco night.
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to four days and make an unbeatable lunch. Reheat a slice in the microwave or a low oven until the cheese goes melty again.
Mexican Lasagna FAQs
This Mexican Lasagna layers corn tortillas, seasoned sliced chicken, roasted poblano peppers, a creamy blended tomato and cilantro sauce, and a Mexican cheese blend. It is baked in a skillet until bubbly and golden, basically taco night built like a lasagna.
You can, but corn tortillas are the better choice. Corn holds its shape between the layers and gives that authentic flavor, while flour tortillas tend to go soft and gummy. If you only have flour, use them but expect a softer texture.
Place whole poblanos on a sheet tray under a high broiler and turn them often until all sides are blistered and blackened. Move them to a bowl, cover to steam for a few minutes, then peel off the skins by hand. Remove the stems and seeds and slice into ribbons.
Absolutely. Assemble the entire skillet, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day. When you are ready, bake it straight from the fridge, adding a few extra minutes to the covered bake time so the center heats all the way through.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave or warm the whole skillet in a low oven until the cheese melts again. It also freezes well for up to three months.
As written it is mild and family friendly since poblano peppers bring smoky flavor without much heat. To make it spicier, leave some poblano seeds in, add a diced jalapeno to the sauce, or sprinkle in cayenne. To keep it mild, it is perfect as is.
Hungry for more cozy Tex Mex? Try our reader favorite taco pizza next.
Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 Poblano peppers
- 2 medium tomatoes large chop
- 2 scallions large chop
- 1/2 red bell pepper large chop, seeds and stem removed
- 1/4 Cup cilantro
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 Cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Cups Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican Blend
- 9 corn torillas
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a medium sized bowl, add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine and the chicken is evenly coated in seasonings.
- Add oil to a pan over medium heat. Add chicken thighs and let sear for 5 minutes, turn over and sear and additional 5 minutes or until internal temperature hits 165 degrees. Set aside until cooled then thinly slice.
- Place broiler on high and put poblano peppers on a sheet tray, place until the broiler and broil until all sides are blistered and browned, turning frequently. Do this while the chicken is cooking.
- Set peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam, set aside. Just before you are ready to assemble the lasagna, take the pepper out, remove as much of the skin as you can, do not run until water! Remove the stem and cut into thin ribbons.
- Place tomatoes, scallions, red bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste into a blender and blend to a liquid. Stir in the sour cream until combined, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees of a cast iron skillet (or any oven safe cookware), layer three tortillas, overlapping. Place half of the chicken on top. Place 1/3 of the peppers, sauce and cheese on top of the chicken. Layer another 3 tortillas the same way, add remaining chicken. Top with another 1/3 of the peppers, sauce and cheese. Place a final layer of 3 tortillas, top with remaining peppers and sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, alway to bake an additional 15 minutes until bubbly. Add remaining cheese, place in oven 5 more minutes until melted. Serve with topping of your choice, enjoy!
Nutrition
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