ERICA’S CHICKEN POBLANO LASAGNA

A family friend made this on the fly. Here, I'll try to reproduce it. 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• Half of a white onion, no need to slice or dice

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 

• Box of lasagna noodles

• 3 - 5 poblano peppers, depending on your spice preferences

• Two large zucchinis

• One cup frozen corn

  Ingredients for a roux

• Approximately ½ cup flour, 4 tablespoons of butter (about a 1 to 1 ratio)

• About 1 - 2 cups of milk - see prep

• Dash of nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste

Prep

1. Fill a Dutch oven with water, add the onion, bay leaves and garlic powder. 

2. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and add the chicken.

3. Cook about 45 minutes or until tender. 

4. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the poblano peppers.

5. Rub the peppers with avocado or other neutral oil.

6. Roast them over an open flame on your stove or in a cast iron skillet. 

7. Rotate until the skin blackens all over then place them in zip lock bags or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap to allow them to sweat - 5 minutes.

8. After the peppers cool slightly, peel the skin off then open and remove the seeds, chop finely.  

9. Prepare your zucchini. Slice them into thin layers with a mandolin. 

10. Melt some butter in a saucepan then sauté them in batches for a few minutes until just soft and set aside.   Season with salt and pepper.  

11. Make your roux - Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan, then add the flour, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Then slowly add milk until the sauce is smooth and creamy, whisking while you add it. Lastly, add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. 

12. Once your roux is prepared, add the diced poblanos and the frozen corn. Add the poblanos gradually and taste to adjust to your preferred spice level.  

13. Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven and shred. Set aside.

14. Remove the bay leaves then heat the water to boiling again and add the lasagna noodles. Cook until just al dente, about 5 minutes.   Remove from the Dutch oven.

Preparing the Lasagna

1. In a deep baking dish, ladle in a layer of the sauce.

2. Add a layer of lasagna strips

3. Layer in some shredded chicken

4. Cover with pepper jack cheese 

5. Layer with the sauteed zucchini

6. Repeat layers with sauce, lasagna, chicken, cheese and zucchini  

7. End with a layer of lasagna noodles then cover with a final layer of sauce and cheese

8. Bake in the oven at 350 F with tented foil over top for 45 - 60 minutes until the cheese and sauce are bubbling

9. You can place a baking sheet underneath the lasagna dish to catch any overflow of sauce.

Serve and enjoy!