PUERTO RICAN-STYLE CHICKEN LASAGNA

Puerto Rican-Style Chicken Lasagna image

This is a twist on a classic dish, with some typical Puerto Rican flavors and a fabulously delicious homemade tomato-based sauce. The time it takes to prepare is well worth the effort!

Provided by LR

Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Caribbean

Time 2h35m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 21

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped, or more to taste
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
2 shallots, chopped, or more to taste
3 mini sweet peppers, chopped, or more to taste
2 scallions, chopped, or more to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch white sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (3 pound) whole chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 heads garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chicken broth, or as needed
1 (.18 ounce) packet sazon seasoning with coriander and achiote, or more to taste
8 green olives, chopped, or more to taste
12 lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, or to taste
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese, or to taste

Steps:

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onion, bell peppers, shallots, sweet peppers, and scallions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer until flavors combine, about 1 hour. Add tomato paste to thicken the sauce, if necessary.
Meanwhile, place chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the thigh bone reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and let cool until easily handled.
Fill a blender halfway with sauce. Cover and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Pour into a pot. Repeat with remaining sauce. Cover to keep warm.
Pull chicken meat off the bones. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and saute garlic until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the boiled chicken and shred it with 2 forks. Moisten the mixture with chicken broth. Add sazon seasoning and olives; mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with a layer of lasagna noodles. Cover with some sauce, followed by some chicken, then a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining noodles, sauce, chicken, and cheese. Cover the final layer of mozzarella with Cheddar cheese for extra color. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake lasagna in the preheated oven until heated through and cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 591.7 calories, Carbohydrate 34.2 g, Cholesterol 124.5 mg, Fat 33.1 g, Fiber 2.8 g, Protein 38.7 g, SaturatedFat 10.6 g, Sodium 732.4 mg, Sugar 5.7 g