Easy Chicken Enchilada Bake / Budin Azteca
Growing up, my mom would make Budin Azteca as a special treat for us - the delicious layers of corn, chicken, rajas (poblano peppers), corn and salsa instantly takes me back to my childhood. My mom would spend hours creating the rajas, roasting green tomatillos to make fresh salsa, frying the tortillas, making the chicken, and layering everything together with love/ con amor.
I love that she did that for us!!! However, I find myself in this life-stage without that much time or energy (or desire) to painstakingly make something - even though the results are worth it!
Enter - Alex Snodgrass’s Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Bake. I came across Alex’s recipe and it seemed to solve all of my hesitancies of making the delicious Budin Azteca of my childhood - using rotisserie chicken already cut down the time, and I was curious to try the cassava tortillas (though I absolutely love corn & wheat tortillas!).
I loved Alex’s recipe so much, and as soon as I made it the first time I had some ideas for how I would adapt it to my lifestyle moving forward. For example, instead of adding cheese to the bulk of the recipe, I switched the cheese for 1 cup of greek yogurt, so I still got the creamy aspect but with less cheese. I also added a ton of veggies, bc veggies are life! This recipe is hugely inspired by Alex’s recipe, and I have added my own processes and adaptations. Please visit the Defined Dish for many more amazing recipes! It’s my go-to!
PS - my mom recently made Budin for us again at home, and YES the full-thing is so worth it, but this is a great weeknight/ easy and attainable staple - gracias, mama!!
Ingredients
-.75 lb Rotisserie Chicken (pro-tip, Whole Foods sells it already pre-processed!!)
-6 Tortillas (I do like the Siete Foods brand, or Whole Foods brand)
-2 cups of salsa verde - I like mixing the Herdez Avocado Salsa with another store-bought salsa verde
-1 can of Goya Black Beans
-1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
-Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper
-1 Zucchini, chopped into small pieces
-Roasted corn (Whole Foods frozen roasted corn FTW!)
-1 bell pepper
-1 bunch of kale or chard
-1 cup of frozen cauliflower rice
-Any other veggies you like! Mushrooms, squash, would all be great.
-Fresh cilantro and green onions
Directions
-Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
-On stove-top, cook all veggies together (frozen corn and cauliflower rice, zucchini, bell pepper, chard, etc), and season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder (to taste).
-In the meantime, in a separate big bowl, add the pulled Rotisserie chicken, 1 cup of drained black beans, 1 cup of plain greek yogurt, 1 cup of salsa verde of your choice, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.
-Once the veggies are cooked, add the veggies into the big bowl and combine everything together.
-In a pyrex or oven-safe dish, add a thin layer of green salsa to the bottom, then layer tortillas on top (they do not have to cover the pan perfectly IMO). On top of the tortillas, scoop enough of your chicken & veggie mixture to make a layer. Then, top with tortillas, thin layer of salsa, and more chicken & veggie mixture. Repeat as many times as you have space for - my pan usually allows for only two layers of the mixture. Finally, top with tortillas, green salsa, and some shredded cheese if you prefer.
-Bake until the tortillas on top are browned - remember, all of the ingredients are already cooked so you are seeking to warm everything up and brown the tortillas.
-Garnish with cilantro and green onion if you wish.
It’s SUPER easy!! Takes me usually around 30 minutes to make the whole thing, and we always have leftovers for the next day. It’s very adaptable and I feel great when I eat it.