Tex-Mex Chicken Lasagna

By á-25138

Ingredients

• Spice Blend:
• 3 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
• 1 small red onion, skin removed, cut in half
• 1 small white onion, skin removed, cut in half
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 lb. poblano peppers
• 1/2 lb. Anaheim peppers
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c. flour
• 2 c. heavy cream
• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 bunch Italian parsley
• 1 lb. jack cheese, grated reserve 1/2 c for sauce
• 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c. ricotta cheese
• 1 box lasagna noodles
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Non stick cooking spray
• aluminum foil
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 tbsp. creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• Mix Well

Details

Adapted from creolecontessa.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to broil.

Put on a large pasta pot of water, bring to boil. Once the water is boiling add about 1 teaspoon of salt to water. To bring water to boil quickly top with a lid but remove lid during the cooking of the pasta.

Rinse chicken, pat dry place in a large bowl and set aside. Mix all seasonings in a small bowl. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the seasoning blend on the chicken and mix well. Refrigerate chicken while you prepare the vegetables.

Place all vegetables except Italian parsley on an oven proof tray. Coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well and roast all vegetables until slightly charred. Remove from oven and cover with a towel and set aside. Turn oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Remove chicken from refrigerator. In a shallow bowl add flour and 1 tsp. of seasoning blend, mix well. Take the chicken and lightly coat in the flour mixture. In a large pot or skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Repeat until all the chicken has been browned. Do not discard flour mixture. Place chicken on a plate and set aside. Note: Chicken is not cooked all the way it will finish cooking in the oven when baked.

Remove skin and seeds of roasted Anaheim, Poblanos and Bell Pepper. Place all roasted vegetables into blender and pulse leaving slightly chunky and set aside.

Take chicken and chop. I like my chicken about 1/2 inch but it is solely up to you. If young children will be eating this dish, chop finely.

In the pan that the chicken was cooked in add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add remaining flour and whisk well for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Lower heat to medium-low, add parsley and mix well. Pour in chicken broth, milk and cream, whisk well.

Add 1 tablespoon of seasoning blend and mix well. Add Cheddar cheese and 1/2 c. of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of jack cheese by the handful, blending well after each addition. Whisk in 1/2 c. of ricotta cheese. Add the roasted vegetables and mix well. Add remaining seasonings. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of cream vegetable mixture and set aside. This will be used to top lasagna. Add chicken and juices back to the pot and mix well. Cook on low heat for about 5-6 minutes.

Add pasta to pot, stir, cook 6 1/2 minutes. Pasta will finish cooking in oven. Drain pasta, rinse in hot water, drain again. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking.

In a 9 X 13 oven proof casserole dish, spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

To Assemble:

Ladle about 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish, top with a layer of lasagna noodles, slightly overlap noodles. Top with a third of the sauce mixture, top with jack cheese, repeat with the next layer, ending with a final layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread remaining sauce on top of lasagna sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and remaining jack cheese.

Spray a large piece of aluminum foil with non stick cooking spray to prevent cheese from sticking. Cover casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 15 to 20 more minutes are until browned. Allow to cook slightly before cutting. I cool my lasagna about 20 minutes so it will cut better. Serve warm.