This chicken poblano lasagna combines the zesty, meaty, cheesy flavors of chicken enchiladas with the sensibilities of lasagna to create a rich, creamy, meaty, and cheesy dish that explodes with flavor in every bite. It’s the perfect meal for busy weeknights or for any party.
Most people think of Italian flavors when they think of lasagna, but we think of possibilities. Of course, classic lasagna is delicious, but just think of all the other flavors you can combine and layer to create variations of the classic dish. We have a breakfast lasagna layered with all our favorite flavors, a Mexican chicken lasagna loaded with flavor and using tortillas in place of noodles, and now we have another new addition. This Chicken poblano lasagna combines the flavor of our poblano chicken enchiladas with layers of lasagna noodles and just about as much flavor as you can reasonably expect from one dish! It’s the best of two delicious worlds, and we think you’re going to love it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Basic Ingredients: Everything used in this recipe can be found at any grocery store or in your kitchen.
- Easy: The chicken, poblano sauce, and assembly are all incredibly easy to do, so anyone can make this recipe.
- Rich, Creamy, and Delicious: The poblano cream sauce is rich and creamy with the perfect amount of heat, and the chicken, corn, and cheese add even more flavor.
- Versatile: This is the perfect recipe for weeknight dinners, especially Taco Tuesday, or any party.
Ingredients
Chicken
- Boneless Skinless Breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breasts readily take on the flavors of the other ingredients and are easy to grill and shred.
- Seasonings: A blend of Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika gives the chicken a deep, smoky, bold flavor.
Poblano Cream Sauce
- Roasted Poblanos and Jalapenos: Roasted poblanos and jalapenos add a smoky, caramelized, slightly sweet note to their vegetal flavor and a pop of heat.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: Green enchilada sauce adds classic enchilada flavor to the sauce.
- Heavy Cream and Chicken Broth: Heavy cream and chicken broth help create a rich sauce with the perfect thickness and add more flavor, as well.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes add a little more heat to the sauce.
Additional Ingredients
- Cheese: A blend of Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar adds cheesy flavor that’s strong enough to stand up to the other ingredients in the dish.
- Whole Kernel Corn: Whole kernel corn adds pops of sweetness and more texture.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Lasagna Noodles: You can use flour or corn tortillas in place of the lasagna noodles.
- Chicken: Chicken breasts or thighs both work well for this recipe.
- Your Favorite Cheese: Any bold cheese will work for this lasagna. Taco blend and Mexican blend are both excellent choices.
- Olives: Sliced black olives are a great addition.
- Enchilada Sauce: For a slightly sweeter flavor, use red enchilada sauce instead of green.
- Mild: Cut the cajun seasoning by half, leave out the red pepper flakes, and only use poblano peppers for a mild version.
Instructions
Grilled Chicken
- Cut the breasts in half lengthwise, pat them dry with paper towels, and coat them with olive oil.
- Coat the breasts on all sides with the chicken seasonings. Then, grill them at 350 until their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Set aside.
Roasted Peppers
- Rub the poblanos with oil and place them on the grill, along with the jalapenos.
- Grill the jalapenos until softened and the poblanos until their skins are blistered and charred.
- Steam the poblanos in a resealable baggie or in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes.
- Cook the lasagna noodles according to al dente while the peppers steam.
Poblano Cream Sauce
- Peel the skins from the poblanos. Then remove the stems and seeds from all the peppers.
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a Vitamix or blender and blend until creamy.
Assembly
- Shred the chicken breasts.
- Pour enough sauce into the bottom of a prepared 9×13 deep baking dish. Then, add a layer of lasagna noodles.
- Top the noodles with the chicken, corn, cheese, and more sauce. Repeat the layers ending with sauce and shredded cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Then, uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Enjoy!
Tips
- Always wash your hands after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
- When checking your chicken for doneness, be sure the tip of the meat thermometer is in the center of the thickest part of the meat for an accurate reading.
- Spray your baking dish with nonstick spray just before adding the ingredients, so the spray doesn’t pool at the bottom of the dish.
- Give your peppers at least 10 minutes to steam so the skin pulls away from the flesh and is easier to peel.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Because this recipe is made with heavy cream, we don’t recommend freezing it.
To reheat the chicken poblano lasagna, microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until warmed through.
Pairing Suggestions
Serve this lasagna as part of a larger meal with sides like habanero salsa or guacamole with chips. For dessert, serve pumpkin churros for another tasty twist on a Mexican classic.
FAQ
Chicken poblano lasagna is a mashup of lasagna and enchiladas made by combining shredded chicken with a creamy enchilada sauce with added roasted peppers and lasagna noodles in place of tortillas.
If you’re roasting peppers, it’s easy to tell when they’re done. Just grill them until their skin is blackened and charred. That’s when they’re roasted to perfection.
No, it doesn’t. In fact, it reduces their heat a bit and can actually give them a slightly sweet flavor. The roasting process concentrates the natural sugars in the peppers and burns away some of their capsaicin, the compound responsible for their heat.
Try This Chicken Poblano Lasagna
With tons of tender chicken, ooey-gooey cheese, a rich creamy sauce, and the perfect amount of heat, this chicken poblano lasagna is a delicious mashup you need in your life. If you don’t believe us, just make it one time. Then, ask your tastebuds what they think. You’ll get the correct answer. Give it a try!
More Delicious
If you try this recipe and love it, please be sure to leave a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and comment! You can also pin it to save it for later. Also, you can follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.
Chicken Poblano Lasagna
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise, grilled
- 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Poblano Cream Sauce
- 3 roasted poblanos, seeds removed, peeled
- 2 roasted jalapenos, seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 15 ounce green enchilada sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Additional Ingredients
- 15 ounce whole kernel corn, drained
- 16 ounce lasagna noodles
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese or spicy cheese
Instructions
Grilled Chicken
- Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, pat dry with paper towels, and rub olive oil on both sides of breasts.
- Sprinkle seasoning on each side of the chicken breasts.
- Heat grill to 350 degrees.
- Grill chicken breasts on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, approximately 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on size of the breasts.
- Remove chicken from the grill and set aside.
Poblano Cream Sauce
- Wash and dry the peppers.
- Rub each poblano pepper with olive oil and place the peppers on the hot grill.
- Let poblano peppers cook until blistered and charred on each side.
- Grill the jalapeno for a few minutes then remove peppers from the grill and place poblano peppers in a gallon size baggie or a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let the poblanos steam for 10 minutes.
- While the peppers are steaming, bring a pot of water to a boil over medium high heat and cook lasagna noodles according to package directions for al dente.
- Remove from the baggie/bowl and peel the skin off each pepper.
- Cut stems off of all peppers, remove seeds, and place into a vitamix or blender.
- Add enchilada sauce, heavy cream, chicken broth, chicken bouillon, and red pepper flakes into the vitamix and blend until creamy.
- Dice or shred chicken breasts.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 deep baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour a ½ cup, or more if needed, into the bottom of the dish.
- Lay cooked lasagna noodles in an even layer over the sauce.
- Top with chicken, followed by corn, then cheese, and more sauce.
- Repeat layers ending with sauce and shredded cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and let bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Notes
- Always wash your hands after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
- When checking your chicken for doneness, be sure the tip of the meat thermometer is in the center of the thickest part of the meat for an accurate reading.
- Spray your baking dish with nonstick spray just before adding the ingredients, so the spray doesn’t pool at the bottom of the dish.
- Give your peppers at least 10 minutes to steam so the skin pulls away from the flesh and is easier to peel.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Because this recipe is made with heavy cream, we don’t recommend freezing it. To reheat the chicken poblano lasagna, microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until warmed through.
