A delicious, simple chicken tortilla lasagna that everyone will love, with comforting, familiar flavors of chicken in a creamy salsa verde sauce with sweet corn between layers of warm tortilla and pepper jack cheese, then topped with fresh tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, onions, and jalapenos.
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Easy Dinner for Busy Nights
This Easy Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Lasagna is the ultimate solution for a busy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. It's a fantastic twist on the classic chicken tortilla casserole, offering a fun and flavorful take on this Tex-Mex favorite.
Layered with tender chicken, zesty salsa, gooey cheese, and crispy tortilla chips, it's a cinch to assemble and bake. This dish is a great way to satisfy your family's cravings for a comforting, cheesy meal without spending hours in the kitchen, making it the perfect recipe for those hectic evenings when you need a quick and delicious dinner option.
Interesting Fact
Lasagna, one of Italy's most beloved dishes, has ancient origins, dating back to the Greeks who made a similar layered pasta dish called "Laganon," long before it became a staple of Italian cuisine.
Looking for more baked dishes? Try:
- Italian chicken Sausage Stuffed Portobello mushrooms with Burrata
- Oven Baked Pecorino Basil Pesto Corn on the Cob
- Crispy Baked Wet Lemon Pepper Chicken Cutlets
Plan for the week! Make these One Pot Meals:
Ingredients with Steps
This dish is baked in the oven, so preheat it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then brown the salt and pepper chicken breasts with olive oil in a sauce pot, cover with chicken broth and salsa verde, and cook.
Once the chicken is done, remove it, let it rest, then shred it. After the sauce has cooled down, whisk in sour cream and shredded pepper jack cheese. Next, add the corn and chicken and mix well.
To assemble, layer in a casserole dish the chicken sauce and corn tortillas and then top with more cheese and bake. Finally, top the casserole with avocado, tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, and fresh cilantro, squeeze on the lime juice, and serve.
See the chicken tortilla lasagna recipe card for quantities.
Instructions with Pictures
A step-by-step visual guide to creating a mouthwatering chicken tortilla lasagna, perfect for a Tex-Mex twist on a classic Italian dish.
Brown the chicken in olive oil.
Add salsa verde and chicken broth, and cover to cook the chicken.
After removing the chicken, add the sour cream and whisk. Then, slowly add and whisk in the cheese.
Shred the chicken and add it back to the pot with the corn.
Brush the baking dish with olive oil.
Cut the tortillas in half and layer the pan with the cut side facing out.
Spoon half of the chicken mixture and spread out evenly.
Repeat with another set of tortillas.
Finish with the last layer of chicken filling.
Add the remaining tortillas and top with cheese and bake.
When adding toppings, you always add the big pieces first, then the small pieces. This helps everything fall into place. So, add the avocado pieces first.
Then add the tomatoes.
Next, the jalapenos.
Next, the jalapenos.
And finally, the onion and divide the dish into four squares.
Serve with a side salad, vegetables, or soup.
Substitutions
- Skinless Chicken Breast - Use skinless chicken thighs, ground chicken, or rotisserie chicken. Or try a different meat, like ground beef.
- Salsa Verde - Replace this green salsa with green chiles, red salsa, or tomato sauce with taco seasoning or chili powder.
- Sour Cream - Try cream cheese.
- Olive Oil - To grease the baking dish, you can use cooking spray.
- Pepper Jack Cheese - Use a Mexican cheese blend, cheddar cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese.
- Canned Corn - Boiled, roasted, or grilled corn on the cob kernels.
- Corn Tortilla - Try flour tortillas.
- Jalapeno Peppers - Use Poblano (not as hot) or Serrano (hot)
Change Heat Level - Modify the recipe's heat level to your liking and learn more about the Scoville Scale and Chili Pairings.
Variations
- Beans - Add beans for a hearty, nutritious meal. Use black beans, pinto beans, or refried beans, highly loosened with chicken broth.
- More Toppings - Add black olives and green onions.
Equipment
- Medium Pot - You can use a 3-quart pot or Dutch oven to cook the chicken and sauce.
- Tongs - Used when browning the chicken on both sides.
- Spatula - Great for scraping the cheese sauce out of the pan to layer the lasagna.
- Whisk - Used to make the cheese sauce to ensure both solids and liquid combine well. This is a staple tool for your kitchen. If you don't have one, get the KitchenAid Classic Utility Whisk.
- Brush - Used to brush the bottom of the baking dish. Alternatively, you can use an oil spray. And if you decide to buy a silicone brush, try the OXO Good Grips Silicone Brush. The bristle won't melt!
- 8x8 Deep Baking Dish - This size pan is perfect for making a deep dish and for serving four. For more servings, use a larger pan. I used the Pyrex Easy Grab 2-Quart Glass Baking Dish. I bought It as a four-piece set with a larger 3-quart dish and two lids.
Kitchen Must-Haves Reviews
Find a collection of my reviews of kitchen equipment that I have purchased or recommend. Kitchen Must-Haves - Find other tools I use here.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purchased: 06/06/23
My Review: As a chef with over two decades of experience relying on All-Clad, their D3 Stainless 3-quart saucepan is a kitchen workhorse. The sturdy 3-ply construction ensures even heat distribution for perfect simmering, searing, and everything in between. It's a breeze to clean, goes effortlessly from stovetop to oven, and consistently delivers exceptional results for rice, soups, sauces, and more. This saucepan is a worthy investment if you're looking for durable, versatile, and American-made cookware.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purchased: 11/01/21
Update: 08/19/24
My Review: These tongs have been indispensable kitchen tools. Their sturdy build and heat-resistant silicone tips make them dependable for various cooking tasks, from flipping delicate fish fillets to pulling a hot oven rack, ensuring they're a valuable addition to my kitchen. The only problem I've had is grasping items with the tip. Silicone tongs are flexible and are not sturdy enough to pick heavy things with their tips. So I gave it a 4 out of 5. Hence, the reason why I still keep my metal tongs.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review: I've currently switched to the ThermoWorks Hi-Temp Silicone Spatula, and it's been great. The fact that it's all silicone makes it easy just to throw it in the dishwasher and ensures that it will last a long time. It is well made, and the tip is super thin, which is great for scraping; at first, I was afraid it would crack, however it has not yet. Just be careful with it around blades. I made this mistake and have a little snip on mine, but it has not cracked around it. So it's still holding well.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review: I absolutely love this simple and beautiful Pyrex Easy Grab Glass Baking Dish Set—the transparent design makes it easy to monitor your food, and it looks great going from oven to table. I always reach for Pyrex when I can because it’s a brand I trust and have used for years. The snug-fit, BPA-free lids are great for storing leftovers, and the dishes themselves are safe for the microwave, freezer, dishwasher, and even a pre-heated oven. The only reason this set gets 4 stars from me is because the lids aren’t truly dishwasher safe—despite what the label might say, they tend to warp from the heat, so I recommend hand-washing them to keep them in shape. Besides that, I use these dishes all the time, and you’ll see them featured often in my blog posts!
Storage
- Refrigerator - To store in the fridge, you can place the casserole in a shallow 2-inch container to cool down quickly. Then, store it in an airtight container. As a result, the meal will last up to two to three days.
- Freezer - Follow the refrigeration process mentioned above. Then, place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container. I suggest freezing this dish without the toppings.
Cooking tips
Your Cooking Tips Resource Guide - Become a better home cook with tips to help you cook more efficiently on the Cook's Notebook tab. Learn numerous techniques for chicken and preparing herbs, like using a salad spinner.
- Resting - Allowing the meat to rest helps the juices redistribute back into the meat so that when you cut it, it's not all over your cutting board, keeping the meat moist.
- Cooling Down - You must cool down hot sauces before incorporating dairy products. If you don't, the cheese, milk, or cream will break, like curdled milk or oil separation.
Chicken Recipes
Looking for other chicken recipes like this? Try these:
- Quick Spicy Potstickers | Chili Momo Tibetan Style
- Beituti Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowl | Quick and Easy
- Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma | Quick with Beituti
- Creamy Curry Chicken Gnocchi Soup | Caribbean Style
Baked Recipes
Looking for other baked recipes like this? Try these:
- Healthy Spicy Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers with Salad
- Creamy Spinach Pesto Mushroom Lasagna
- Caesar Salad with Egg Tomatoes and Chili-Infused Croutons
- Baked Cheesy Spicy Tomato Basil Chicken and Broccolini
📖 Recipe
Chicken Tortilla Lasagna
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breast
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup salsa verde
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese shredded
- ½ cup canned corn kernels
- 6 corn tortillas halved
- 1 small avocado medium diced
- ½ cup tomatoes medium diced
- ½ jalapeno thinly sliced rings
- ¼ cup onion small diced
- 10 cilantro leaves
- ½ small lime
Equipment
Instructions
- Set the Oven: Preheat oven to 400 °F .
- Prep the Chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Brown the Chicken: Heat a medium pot on medium-high heat with one tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, sear chicken for three to five minutes on both sides or until golden brown.
- Cook the Chicken: Reduce the heat to medium. Then, add salsa verde and chicken broth, and simmer the chicken covered for 8 to 10 minutes or until the thickest part of the chicken breast has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, remove the chicken and let it rest for at least 5 minutes, then shred.
- Make the Sauce: Remove the sauce from the heat and allow the sauce to rest for 3 minutes to cool down. Then, slowly whisk in the sour cream and half a cup of cheese while whisking the sauce continuously.
- Make the Filling: Add corn and shredded chicken to the cheese sauce.
- Assemble the Lasagna: Brush olive oil on the bottom and sides of an 8x8 deep baking dish. Add a layer of corn tortilla by placing four pieces. Please see the pictures and video for the layout. Then, add the chicken cheese mixture and another layer of corn tortillas, and repeat. Top the final layer of corn tortillas with the remaining half cup of cheese.
- Bake the Lasagna: Bake for 10 minutes until 80% of the cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with Toppings: Add avocado, tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, and cilantro leaves. Then, freshly squeeze the lime juice over the top of the dish.
- Serve: Cut into four and serve.
Video
Nutrition
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