What a combo.  Layers of spiced chicken, black beans and sweet corn between layers of spiced tomato sauce between layers of tortillas and sharp cheddar.  Topped with fresh and zesty avocado salsa, this was GOLD!  Your kids will love you for this.  Mine did…..

There is a bit of a process involved but no more than a typical lasagne.  It was actually a bit of fun to make!  You will also love the spice blend, it is fantastic on BBQ’d meats or fish or even just normal beef tacos.  You also know exactly what is in it.  I have provided a link below but you can find it and other recipes in the ‘Basics’ section of the website.

 

Prep time:  45 minutes            Cooking time:  45  Minutes                $$  Medium Budget

 

Serves 8

 

This makes a large lasagne but the leftovers were delicious the next day.  Otherwise you could make two smaller ones and freeze one for later use.

 

2 large breast fillets

2 tbs of Em’s Food Mexican Spice Blend (see below)

http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/mexican-spice-blend/

2 tbs of olive oil

1 x 400gm tin of sweet corn, drained and rinsed

2 x 400gm tins of Old El Paso black beans, drained and rinsed*

1/2 a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

3 spring onions, ends trimmed and sliced

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Sea salt and pepper

400gm of Mexican cheese blend (Kraft brand or a good sharp tasty will do)

1 x packet of 16 wheat tortillas

 

For the sauce:

 

1 dried ancho chilli

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 tbs of Ems Food Mexican spice blend

700ml bottle of tomato passata

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1 level tsp of sugar

Sea salt and pepper

 

For the Salsa:

 

1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled and diced

1 cup of coriander leaves

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

Sea salt and cracked pepper

Juice of 1 lime

A drizzle of Extra virgin olive oil

 

Place the ancho chilli in a jug of boiling water for about 10 minutes or until softened.  Drain off most of the water and blend in a processor or with a stick blender to a nice paste.  Set aside.

 

Place the breast fillets on a chopping board and holding them firmly with the palm of your hand, slice through them crossways so that you have two fillets about 1.5cm thick.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.  Place the fillets in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and place the two tablespoons of Mexican spice blend in the bowl.  Massage the oil and spices into the chicken, set aside and wash your hands.

 

Heat a large frypan to nice and hot and fry the chicken fillets on both sides for 5 minutes or until cooked through in the thickest part.  You may need to do this in batches.  Once cooked, pop on a plate and set aside to cool slightly.

 

In a large mixing bowl place the corn, black beans, spring onions, coriander and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

 

Once the chicken has cooled slightly, chop it into small chunks and add it to the bowl of corn etc.  Mix well to combine.

 

Heat a saucepan and add a little oil.  Lightly fry the garlic until fragrant and then dd the spices and ancho chilli paste.  Fry again until fragrant then pour in the passata.  Season with salt and pepper and add the sugar and stir well to combine before bringing the mixture up to a simmer.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

 

To assemble the lasagne, use a large lasagne dish and spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce across the bottom.  Cut the tortillas in half and place the flat edge of the tortilla along the sides of the lasagne dish so that the curved edges face inwards.  Fill any gaps with smaller pieces of tortilla so that everything is covered but don’t overlap too much.  Top the tortilla layer with a third of the chicken mixture and sprinkle over a good amount of cheese.  Top with tortillas then sauce, tortillas then chicken mixture and cheese so that you have three layers of each until the top layer is the last of the sauce.  Sprinkle more cheese on top and bake in a 180°C pre heated oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden and bubbling.  Remove from the oven and allow the lasagne to rest for 10 minutes.  It will be easier to serve if you do this.

 

While the lasagne is cooking, place the salsa ingredients in a bowl and mix with a folding motion very gently to combine. You don’t want to mash the avocado.

 

To serve, divide the lasagne into 8 equal portions with a sharp knife and use an egg flip to scoop out of the dish.  Use a sharp knife to slide across the base of the egg flip to slide the lasagne onto a plate.  Top with a good helping of salsa and serve. Ole`

 

*Old El Paso black beans can be found in the Mexican section of the supermarket