When you’re craving Mexican food, you could opt for the usual tacos or enchiladas or burritos or you could go with something a little more unique, if not totally traditional, like this Chicken Tortilla Stack. Think of it like Mexican food meets pie – it’s full of delicious cheesy, zesty flavor in sliceable form.

This dish is all about layering, but it’s simple to make; the most trouble you’re going to go to is crisping up the tortillas in a pan before you get to stacking. It adds some sturdiness and texture to the final dish, not to mention that a lightly browned tortilla just tastes better!

There are only four components here – the tortillas, plenty of cheese, chicken, and sour cream, but the sour cream is dressed up with taco seasoning and lime juice so it not only adds creaminess, it also adds tons of zesty flavor.

You spread each tortilla with that yummy sour cream mixture and layer it with shredded chicken, and cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses. Repeat until it’s sky-high (or you run out of ingredients) and pop it in the oven. The cheeses melt, the sauce gets hot and bubbly and mingles with the chicken, and the tortillas manage to stay relatively crisp.

Give it a few minutes before you slice it into wedges to keep things from oozing out, top it with your favorite toppings, and dig in. The nice thing about the way this is layered is that every bite reliably gives you every flavor that’s going on here – chewy but crisp flour tortilla, hearty chicken and a zesty creamy sauce, with plenty of ooey-gooey cheese. Yum.