Mexican Lasagna

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Gather the ingredients.

2. Step 2

   Roast the poblano chiles under a broiler or directly over the burner of a gas stove until singed on all sides. Remove the skins, stems, and seeds.

3. Step 3

   Cut the flesh of the roasted chiles in very thin strips or chop them into pieces of about 1/2 inch / 1-centimeter square.

4. Step 4

   Place about 1/3 of the chile strips or pieces into a blender and add the salsa verde, cilantro, and the crema. Process until completely blended.

5. Step 5

   If you have decided to fry your tortillas, pour oil into a skillet until it is about half an inch (1 centimeter) deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Using tongs, place one tortilla into the hot oil for about 2 seconds, turn, then leave 2 more seconds. The tortilla should not change color or become hard.

6. Step 6

   Remove the tortilla from the oil, shake it over the skillet to drain off excess oil, and place it on a plate. Continue in this way until all the tortillas have been briefly fried.

7. Step 7

   Place the tortillas (regardless of whether they have been fried or not), onto a cutting board. Cut them in two, forming half circles. Preheat the oven on to 375 F / 190 C.

8. Step 8

   Pour the blended sauce into a wide, shallow bowl. One by one, lift a piece of tortilla with the tongs and place it into the sauce, turning it over once so that both sides get covered. Place it in the bottom of a lightly greased glass or metal baking dish that measures approximately 8 inches (20 centimeters) square. Continue in this way until the bottom is completely covered (which should take 5 or 6 tortilla halves).

9. Step 9

   Place half of the remaining poblano chiles, half the chicken, and half of the vegetables on top of the tortillas in the dish. Sprinkle on one-third of the shredded cheese. Top with a few spoonfuls of sauce.

10. Step 10

    Repeat the procedure to form another layer of sauce-covered tortillas topped with chiles, chicken, veggies, and cheese. Create a final layer of sauce-covered tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and distribute any remaining sauce around the sides of the baking dish.

11. Step 11

    Bake for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is slightly browned. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes so that it can firm up a bit.

12. Step 12

    Use a sharp knife to cut your dish into squares and a spatula to dish portions onto individual plates.