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Chicken, Salsa Verde and Tortilla Casserole (Pastel Azteca)

8 Servings

2 hours 1¼ hours active, plus resting

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Though pastel azteca translates from the Spanish as “Aztec cake,” the dish often is referred to in English as Mexican lasagna, enchilada casserole or tortilla pie—and understandably so. It is comprised of corn tortillas layered with sauce, meat, cheeses, crema (a cultured cream similar to crème fraîche) and vegetables; a stint in the oven brings together all the elements. Our recipe is an adaptation of the pastel azteca taught to us in Mexico City by chef Esmerelda Brinn Bolaños. We swapped chicken thighs for the dark-meat turkey that she used and found readily available substitutes for the locally made Mexican cheeses. We opted for pepper Jack cheese because of its melting qualities and mild spiciness; if you prefer, use regular Jack cheese or even mozzarella. To assemble and bake the casserole, we use a 9-inch springform pan for a presentation that reveals the impressive layers and allows for slicing into wedges for serving.

8

Servings

Tip

Don’t use sour cream in place of Mexican crema. Sour cream has a lower fat content and will curdle during baking. If crema is not available, crème fraîche is the next best option, but it’s much thicker than crema, so allow it to come to room temperature before use so it’s easier to spread. Don’t slice the pastel until it has rested for at least 30 minutes to allow the layers to set up for easier slicing and serving.

2 hours

1¼ hours active, plus resting

Ingredients

  • 1

    pound poblano chilies

  • pounds tomatillos, husked and halved

Directions

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Reviews
Teresa S.
December 2, 2022
Incredible.
Made as written and it’s amazing.
Cheryl F.
October 4, 2022
Pastel Azteca
Loved it!
Teresa B.
June 7, 2022
Yummy
Make sure to cook the filling to precise measurements for perfect slicing
Rhonda L.
August 26, 2023
Incredible
So flavorful, textural a hit with my guests!
Kelly R.
August 15, 2023
Astonishingly good
Being that I'm a foodie, I rarely make things twice. But, I would make this again. And the best part is that my 4.5 year old agrees. I baked mine in a black iron skillet and it was perfection. Also, if there is a tortilleria near you, use them and thank them later by going back again and again.
Azur M.

For crema I’ve used a mix of sour cream and heavy cream

Sarah F.

This was SO GOOD. Total cheese bomb, but amazing. I would 100% make the chicken mixture and stop there and use it to fill tacos or even put over rice. So so good.

Linda L.

We enjoyed this and will definitely make it again. Found it took much longer to cook down tomatillo sauce. Increased the amount of chicken to 1.75 lbs. Sprayed the springform pan w/ cooking spray and cleanup was a breeze. Will try adding either some lime zest and/or juice to tomatillo sauce. Delicious make ahead meal.

John M.

Another excellent Milk Street recipe! This was a *big* hit with everyone who tried it. The ingredients complemented each other well with no part overwhelming the whole. The cotija cheese was a great topping -- tasty & crunchy. Per Linda's comment above, I used 1.5 lbs. of chicken and sprayed the sides of the pan w/cooking oil. One thing I noticed was that 1/2 cup of salsa to spread equally between the bottom & top layers of the pastel was barely enough to cover a six inch circumference in the center of the pan on either layer. Seems as though it would take a full cup to achieve the desired results. That would take away salsa from the chicken mix, though.. Thanks again Milk Street & Courtney Hill!

Brian M.

Absolutely delicious - highly recommend. But budget plenty of time, this isn’t a weeknight endeavor!

Mark C.

This was excellent. Great flavors and loved the layers. Agree with Linda about taking longer to cook down the sauce than expected, but worth it to get it nice and thick without being runny. Couldn't get cotija so subbed feta and it was great. Definitely a bit of a project to put together but so worth it. Next time will spray inside of pan with oil to make cleanup even easier.

Jeanette H.

FYI, I found a great fast trick for shredding chicken: put in a bowl and use a hand mixer (the old style mixer with the 2 beaters—NOT a hand blender). This shreds chicken really well.

Jonathan S.

I really enjoyed this recipe even though I messed up and used flour tortillas. Next time I will reduce the amount of cheese because it seemed to overpower the Tomatillo sauce. I like the other commenters idea of adding lime and I might take it a bit further and spice it up with some cayenne or jalapeño.

Kristen B.

This turned out absolutely delicious. I doubled the chicken filling and vacuum - sealed and frozr the rest for tacos next week. Extra pepitas and cilantro are in order. I see a week of happy lunches and this was worth every minute of prep.

Mary M.

This was ok, just because I found it very sweet -and seemed to be missing flavor. I filled the instructions exactly.
I might leave out the corn if I make it again.

Jennifer B.

Megan, lots of work and not much taste. Nothing memorable.

Steven R.

This is excellent, and tasty. It's probably the best version of what's commonly called tortilla pie that I've come across. In experimenting with this recipe I have discovered that a cook in a hurry can use salsa verde in place of the ground tomatilloes. Also the combination of cheeses is easily replaced by a Mexican multiple cheese blend found in many stores. Also I suggest having at least 16 ozs of Mexican sour cream (crema) on hand for assembly of the dish. This is a delicious relatively easy to prepare dish.

Chris W.

Thanks for the quick tips when you don't have 2 hours, and I am sure store bought roast chicken would speed it up even more. The 16 oz of Crema is also a good idea since 8 oz is on the skimpy side.

Chris W.

This was incredible, what an orgasm of flavours bursting in every bite, even wifey who is from Viet Nam and does not really like cheese, loved it! Though its about 2 hours, so don't start too late unless you want to be eating at 8pm...

Sean K.

This was absolute comfort food: charred chiles, silky smooth crema, nice meaty chicken, subtly sweet corn, herbaceous cilantro, and more cheese than should be safely served at any one time. Forget "King Ranch Casserole", this is what you want to make and eat. This is the real deal. My family absolutely went crazy for this, and while I was hoping for at least three days of leftovers, it only survived two. We polished this off in record time.

Really, the only issue was that it never sliced cleanly like on the TV show! I let it rest the requisite 30 minutes (there was no way those aromas would let me go the full hour) and removed the springform pan. But as soon as I applied downward pressure, all that delicious filling squeezed out from in between the tortillas and all over the cutting board. Visually, it was a disgusting mess, more reminiscent of upchuck than food. In fact, we ended up calling this dish "Mexi-Glop".

But we ate it all up anyway! It may have looked awful but it tasted sooooooo gooooood! 😋

Cathy B.

I love this dish! But I cannot get it to keep its shape -- I had Sean K's experience above every time I've made it. Thinking of flipping it to a 9x12" casserole dish, like I do with King Ranch. Any other tips for how to get it to keep the shape? Is it a matter of letting it cool for longer?

Cynthia R.

Cannot wait to give this a try.

Mexican Crema JUST became available locally which I have been looking for over the last SEVERAL years!

Love Poblanos... have Stuffed pepper recipe uing them, made with Tomatillo based Enchilada Sauce. Seite Brand is my go to sauce.

Jacki K.

I made this for the 1st time tonight. It was delicious but it didn't hold its shape after resting for 45 minutes. I will make again but will use a lasagna pan. Was anyone successful with it holding its shape & if so, any suggestions for me?

Lynn C.

Hi Jacki -

You may want to let it go the full hour of cooling time, which will definitely help it hold its shape better. Much like a lasagna it stays pretty hot for a while. A couple more things to keep in mind - make sure to use the weight amount of poblanos, rather than a guesstimate. If you add too many the excess liquid from the peppers can cause the filling to be too watery, which will prevent it from holding its shape. Also, after shredding the chicken, make sure to measure the amount of chicken and salsa verde. You want to have exactly 3 1/2 cups. If you have more you'll need to put the mixture back on the heat and reduce the sauce to yield the correct amount. Again, if there is more salsa verde than called for, the filling may be too watery.

Hope that helps!
The Milk Street Team

Amanda D.

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Kathleen P.

My grocery was out of tomatillos and I can’t stand cilantro, so I tried a red version of this. I used two cans of Rotel tomatoes and 8 oz tomato sauce, with a mix of chili, cumin, and coriander. I also sizzled some frozen corn in a dry skillet with some Penzey’s Northwoods Fire, and added a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans that I mushed up with my hands. I was a little short on tortillas so I crunched up some blue corn tortilla chips into shards and threw them in. Excellent.

It freezes well too. After thawing it in the fridge, I cooked slices in a skillet to get the caramelization.