Chicken Mexican Lasagna is like eating tacos in a casserole! Today I share a easy Mexican chicken lasagna with tortillas that is relatively guilt-free and SO delicious. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal with the entire family. Easy to make, filled with delicious ingredients, and you can even make them ahead of time!
![piece of mexican chicken lasagna topped with jalapenos](https://www.thecookierookie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/mexican-lasagna-recipe-2-800x1200.jpg)
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I could make this Mexican lasagna bake with just 15 minutes of preparation and it is baked to perfection. Such a wonderful feeling when you serve a great hearty family meal straight out of the oven. It’s been a staple in our house ever since!
Due to large in portions it also a great option for your weekly meal prep. If I’m high on Mexican flavors, I like to add some sauteed vegetables or cilantro lime rice or spanish rice in the stuffing. You can’t go wrong with any of these!
Be sure to try my Lasagna Soup and Creamy White Chicken Lasagna too!
Mexican Chicken Lasagna Recipe
This easy Mexican lasagna with chicken is a great healthier dinner option. Layers of your favorite tacos baked into a lasagna-like casserole. It’s so good! Tortillas, chicken, salsa, cheese, beans, and more are always delicious.
I topped off this Mexican chicken lasagna recipe with some plain greek yogurt, a great substitute when trying to make Mexican food a bit less calorie-filled. You’ll never miss the sour cream or Mexican crema!
Red salsa is the first choice when it comes to preparing anything Mexican for most of us. And here I’m sharing my Mexican Chicken Lasagna with green sauce but it’s not verde salsa! It’s spinach!
This is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal, and also a great option for making the night before to heat up when you’re ready to chow down. And believe me, you’ll whole family will love it!
No oven, don’t worry, I have got you covered with my Skillet Lasagna. And for anyone who follow Points, try this Weight Watchers Lasagna.
Ingredients
- Chicken: I like shredded chicken for this Mexican lasagna. You can use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, or make your own shredded chicken. You can also use ground chicken.
- Tortillas: I recommend flour tortillas. But you can use any tortillas you like! Corn tortillas will get a little crunchier, which you might prefer.
- Taco Seasoning: I am using my homemade taco seasoning, but use any store bought that you like.
- Black Beans & Corn: For quick cooking, I’m using a can of black beans and corn. You can also use canned black beans and corn.
- Salsa: Try this blender salsa, or use any salsa you love!
- Cheese: Shredded Mexican blend cheese works great. Or add Colby Jack or pepper jack.
Variations & Substitutions
- I love this dish with chicken, but you can also make it with cooked ground beef, ground turkey, or mix of both.
- Swap with almond flour tortillas if you want to make keto lasagna bake or on low-carb diet.
- I use homemade red salsa in my lasagna bake, taco sauce, enchilada sauce or green tomato salsa, are few to experiment with.
- Throw some red chili flakes, hot chilies or green jalapeños for extra heat. Please be mindful while adding and adjust as per taste.
- If you are a vegetarian and looking for a vegetarian Mexican Lasagna, I suggest you substitute chicken with vegetarian chicken and follow the rest of the recipe.
- If you have no access to oven, I’m here to share Stovetop Lasagna, Crockpot Lasagna, Dutch Oven Lasagna, Instant Pot Lasagna. Enjoy!!
Tips For Success
- Layer the tortillas in the bottom of your baking dish, making sure they overlap. Ingredients tends to fall out on the bottom from any open space.
- Make sure chicken is fully cooked before adding it into the lasagna bake.
- Cover the casserole with foil for the first part of baking, It protects the top from browning out too quickly.
- Top it with some black olives, fresh salsa or guacamole while serving.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate: Just pop any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Tortillas will keep absorbing the juices from stuffing, you may find leftovers softer as compared to the fresh one. Just microwave them in 30 seconds interval.
Freeze: If you are looking for a freezer meal, then this is a great option. You can freeze it before baking then thaw in the fridge overnight before cooking according to the instructions. You can also freeze this cooked and then defrost in the fridge before reheating.
Make ahead: Like any casserole, this Mexican lasagna bake is a great make ahead dish that is easily reheated. Bake it as per the recipe, then let it cool completely. It will keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the oven at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
This baked Mexican lasagna is delicious and hearty enough to serve by itself. That’s what I love about casseroles! But it’s also great to serve with rice like Cilantro Lime Rice or Easy Mexican Rice. Add some veggies, and salad side dishes like Confetti Corn Salad or Mexican Potato Skins.
End the supper with some desserts like Churros with Chocolate Sauce, Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars and Tres Leches Cake.
5-Star Review
“I made this last night and it was the moistest chicken we’ve ever had. A bit of crispy and the flavor was wonderful. I didn’t have buttermilk and did add lemon juice to 1% milk. I am making it again today. Thank you for this recipe.” – Dawn
Mexican Chicken Lasagna
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Food Processor OR
- High Powered Blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound shredded rotisserie chicken fully cooked
- 12 (6-inch) Old El Paso soft tortillas
- 1 ounce Old El Paso Taco Seasoning 1 packet
- 15 ounces canned black beans 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces canned corn 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the taco seasoning with the chicken. Set aside.1 pound shredded rotisserie chicken, 1 ounce Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
- In a food processor or blender, combine spinach, cilantro, and salsa. Pulse until fully chopped and combined.5 ounces baby spinach, 1 cup fresh cilantro, 1 cup salsa
- Layer 6 tortillas into the bottom of your casserole dish, overlapping slightly.12 (6-inch) Old El Paso soft tortillas
- Cover with one cup cheese, the half of the beans, half of the corn, and half of the chicken. Take one cup of the spinach mixture and cover the chicken.15 ounces canned black beans, 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, 15 ounces canned corn
- On the second layer, start with tortillas, then beans, then corn, then chicken, and finally the spinach mixture. Top with the remaining cheese.12 (6-inch) Old El Paso soft tortillas, 15 ounces canned black beans, 15 ounces canned corn, 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
- Remove foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the top is browned to your liking.
- Serve warm topped with jalapeños, Greek yogurt (or low-fat sour cream,) and more cilantro.
Video
Becky’s Tips
- FOR GARNISH: plain greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream, more cilantro, and Old El Paso jalapenos
- I like to use small soft flour tortillas for this recipe, but you can use corn if you prefer. Almond flour tortillas are also perfect for kep-bake.
- Make sure the tortillas overlap in the bottom of your dish.
- I love this with chicken, but you can also make it with cooked ground beef, turkey or mix of both.
- I like to use black beans, but kidney beans, pinto beans will also work great.
- Throw some red chili flakes, hot chilies or green jalapeños for extra heat. Please be mindful while adding and adjust as per taste.
- If you are a vegetarian and looking for a vegetarian Mexican Lasagna, I suggest you substitute chicken with vegetarian chicken and follow the rest of the recipe.
- If you want to make lasagna without flour tortillas, just remove them and follow the remaining recipe. Portions may not hold the shape,
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Mexican Lasagna With Tortillas
Preheat the oven and prepare the casserole dish: To start with preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Season the shredded chicken: Combine 1 pound of shredded rotisserie chicken and 1 ounce of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning in a medium sized bowl. Mix them well and keep it aside.
Prepare the sauce: Now gather all ingredients for the sauce. In a food processor or blender, combine 5 ounces of baby spinach, 1 cup of fresh cilantro, and 1 of cup salsa. Pulse until fully chopped and combined.
Start layering the ingredients: Now that sauce and chicken stuffing is ready, let’s start to layer. I’m using 12 6-inch size Old El Paso soft tortillas for this recipe. First layer 6 tortillas into the bottom of your casserole dish, overlapping slightly.
I’m using 15 ounces of canned black beans, 2 cups of shredded Mexican Blend Cheese and 15 ounces of canned corn in total. For the first layer I’ll use half of them and the chicken.
Cover tortillas with one cup cheese, the half of the beans, half of the corn, and half of the chicken. Take one cup of the spinach mixture and cover the chicken.
Repeat for the second layer and top with cheese. Start with 6 tortillas, then beans, then corn, then chicken, and finally the spinach mixture. Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake and serve: Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. Remove foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the top is browned to your liking.
Serve topped with jalapenos, Greek yogurt and cilantro.
This Mexican chicken lasagna recipe is so delicious! Like your favorite taco dinner, all baked into a casserole. The whole family will love this dish!
Thanks for the recipe, I omitted/added a few things to caterer to dietary needs; dairy free versions worked perfectly! It was a win by the entire family!!! Thanks for posting/sharing.![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Glad to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing, Marina!
How is this a skinnyish recipe with nearly 7k calories per serving? Are those numbers right? Looking forward to trying it, but I’m baffled by the nutrition facts.
Sorry to say this was horrible. Born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights (East Los Angeles) this taste nothing close to authentic. It was dry and spinach, really?
Who said it was supposed to be authentic? Most authentic meals are not going to be low calorie.
O.M.G. so glad I came across this one! I ran out of spinach (left it out) and don’t often have canned sauces – soooo… I used some Roasted Tomatillo Sauce (Pioneer Woman/Ree Drummond: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/roasted-tomatillo-sauce.html) in place of the salsa. Divided it into two casseroles so I can freeze one for later, (there are only two of us). This one suits me perfectly: Healthy, Reasonable calorie count, and super flavorful! When I finish rehashing my site, will definitely give you and your site a shout out!
Do you know what the calorie content is per serving for this recipe?
I was wondering the same thing.
Your trip to San Diego sounds like it went really well! This lasagna bake is such a fun summer meal!
Thanks so much Shelby!
This Skinny (er) lasagna looks yummy. I love replacing sour cream with greek yogurt. AND your SD trip sounds like it was an amazing trip. . I lived in San Diego for many years and oh how I miss it! there is no place like it :) Pinning this!
I’m so jealous you lived there! I loved it!! Thanks for stopping by Ana :)
You ladies look awesome! I love mexican, next to ice cream it’s my favorite. I love how you used spinach! So sneaky and clever!
Thanks Malinda!!
oh my goodness! that trip sounds like it would have been a blast! and you have me intrigued by old el paso! this looks incredible!
You will love them Krista! Their tortillas only have 4 ingredients, and they’re trying to cut down to three! They are awesome.
Wow, this recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to see more of what you cook up this year :)![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Thanks girl!!! Im missing our fun times!