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Last night I tried to replicate a dish from my favorite casual Mexican restaurant in New York. They called it “budin poblano,” which is a bit of a misnomer because it’s not like a pudding at all. It did resemble a small cake, though, so maybe that’s where they got the name.

Anyway it’s a stack of tortillas layered with chicken, refried beans, sour cream, and mole. I served it with my ridiculously simple Ro-Tel and frozen corn combo. It turned out really well, I’m psyched because I have missed this dish so much over the years.

Cookware: I baked in our ovenproof skillet because these tortillas required something wide, but you could certainly use smaller tortillas and a Corningware dish or pie plate or something.

Ingredients:
– A couple pats of butter.
– Tortillas. I used flour, and they were ten inches wide, so four of them was the right amount. I might use smaller ones and more of them next time though.
– Refried beans. I used one can of “fat free traditional.”
– Shredded chicken. I cooked two thighs, the yield in shredded pieces was about a cup and a half.
– Mole. I bought a jar of Doña Maria brand, which is a kind of concentrate, you mix it on the stove with chicken broth (or water, though I can’t vouch for that). I used less broth than the jar’s instructions called for (about 3/4 as much), which made for a nicely thick sauce.
– Sour cream. But we didn’t have any so I used plain yoghurt instead.
– Shredded Jack cheese. The restaurant’s website doesn’t mention cheese in the original dish, and I can’t remember if there was any or not. But I put a little bit in, thinking it might help the layers hold together. In retrospect I’m not sure it was necessary, I think the beans offer enough structural integrity.
– Chopped onion. I threw this in for a little texture, I’m not sure the original recipe had it. I chopped up half of a yellow onion, but didn’t use more than half of that.
– Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top, for looks.

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter the bottom of one tortilla and lay it in the pan. Spread refried beans on the tortilla, then sprinkle some chicken and onions on (taking into account how many layers you’re doing and reserving enough for each). Drizzle some mole on top — not enough to cover, just a light splattering — then do some sour cream (or plain yoghurt) the same way. Add a touch of shredded cheese if you’re using it, don’t overdo it though.

Add more layers (I did a total of three topping layers between four tortillas): Skip the butter. Put the tortilla on a plate to spread the refried beans, then transfer to the top of the previous layer to add the other toppings.

Butter the top of a tortilla for the top layer. Cover the whole thing with foil (or a lid, if applicable) and bake for 20-25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Keep the mole warm while the tortilla layers are in the oven, and you’ll need to stir it to keep it from getting chunky on the top.

I cut my tortilla stack into six triangular pieces, but that’ll vary with tortilla size of course. Ladle some mole over each serving, and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top if you’re using them. Voilà!

It may not really require that much time in the oven, but it’s the only amount I’ve tested so far and it worked well.

Mmm, just as good on day two. It’s kinda rich though, more of an occasional craving killer than a regular menu staple. Oops, I forgot to take a picture again tonight. Tomorrow, if I remember, I’ll add one.

3 thoughts on “Chicken Mole Short Stack”