Years ago, during a visit to Mexico, my husband and I were invited to eat at the house of some friends who entertained us with all kinds of delicacies. Among all of them, a dish called Aztec cake stuck in my mind. Upon our return home, I started preparing it and, out of my oven, this Mexican chicken lasagna came out.
This Mexican chicken lasagna has nothing to do with the dish I intended to emulate. At that time, the use of the Internet was not as widespread as it is today, so it was time to remember ingredients, flavors and textures. From my oven came what my husband calls chicken lasagna, one of his favorite dishes, now a classic in my kitchen.
Cook the chicken breasts in boiling salted water, along with the bay leaf and black peppercorns, for 30 minutes. Let it cool before draining and crumbling with your hands or with a fork. This is a very simple process because the strands of chicken breast meat are easily separated; you just have to pull one end for the entire strand to come out. We mix the chicken strands with the tomato sauce and season.
Grease a frying pan with a little olive oil, enough to cover the base. We lightly toast the wheat tortillas, one by one, on both sides. It is easy to see when you have to turn them because they bulge a little themselves, as if they were taking in air inside, due to the heat.
We cover the base of a baking dish with a thin layer of bechamel sauce. On it we place a wheat tortilla and, on the wheat tortilla, we spread a layer of the chicken and tomato mixture. We water it with a splash of liquid cream. Next, we place another wheat tortilla, another layer of chicken and tomato and, again, liquid cream. We repeat until we finish with a wheat tortilla.
We cover the Mexican chicken lasagna with the rest of the bechamel sauce, sprinkle with the grated cheese to gratin and place in the oven, pre-heated to 200ºC, for about 20-30 minutes or until the surface begins to brown. After the baking time, remove the pan and let it rest for five minutes before serving.
What to accompany Mexican chicken lasagna with
If we serve the Mexican chicken lasagna with a side of salad we will have a complete and balanced menu on the table and we will enjoy a tasty meal. The texture of this lasagna is very soft, nothing like traditional pasta and bolognese. The wheat tortillas provide an incredible creaminess to the whole. It is a delicious dish and a guaranteed success.
