Chicken Lasagna

This amazing chicken lasagna will blow your mind! I promise! Layers of pasta with tender chicken and spinach in a luscious cheesy garlic cream sauce. Dinner has never been so good.

I’ve worked on perfecting this recipe for over 15 years! Literally 15 years. It’s the garlic-infused béchamel sauce that separates this recipe from all the others. After you try it, I think you’ll agree!

Chicken lasagna will bring your next Sunday’s supper or dinner party to life! Whenever I’m having a bunch of people over, I pull out my list of show-stopping pasta recipes — and this one is always at the top!

Baked pasta has to be some of the best foods in the world! My family especially loves million dollar spaghetti, homemade cannelloni (with a secret ingredient that makes it a snap to make!), baked ziti with ricotta, and stuffed shells. I promise your family will love them all! ♥

Let’s make some lasagna!

What I Love About This Recipe

Have you ever heard anyone say “No, I don’t like lasagna?” EXACTLY!

• Crowd-pleasing
• Three types of CHEESE
• Creamy Garlic White Sauce
• Stores really well

Chicken Lasagna Ingredients

Ricotta Filling

• Eggs: Use large eggs at room temperature.
• Ricotta: This recipe uses whole milk ricotta (not low-fat ricotta). Why? One word: FLAVOR! Whole milk ricotta is made from, you guessed it, whole milk, which means it’s packed with richness and creaminess.
• Sour Cream: Again, use regular, full fat.
• Parmesan: Use good quality. It’s best to grate your own from a wedge. If not, buy it from the deli. Please don’t use the stuff in the green jar.
• Mozzarella: Use whole milk mozzarella.
• Frozen Spinach: Thawed. It’s super important to get out all the moisture from the spinach. Place in a sieve and push with the back of a wooden spoon applying pressure to remove as much moisture as possible. Spread out the spinach in a clean dish towel and wring out any remaining moisture.
• Basil: Adds a hint of sweet and savory herbal flavor.
• Nutmeg: Adds a hint of nuttiness.
• White Pepper: Milder than black pepper with overtones of slight floral.

Sauce

• Unsalted Butter: This is the base of the béchamel.
• Onion: This aromatic helps flavor the béchamel.
• Garlic: This is what makes this lasagna so outstanding.
• Flour: This is the thickener of the béchamel.
• Half-And-Half: Gives the béchamel a velvety texture.
• Chicken Broth: Gives the béchamel volume without being too rich.
• Parmesan: Gives the béchamel cheesy flavor.
• Salt +Black Pepper: Gives the béchamel the right flavor.

Layers

• Noodles: Arguably the most important part of the whole lasagna dish, lasagna noodles come in two types: regular and no-boil. This recipe is written for regular noodles. There isn’t enough liquid in the sauce to use the no-boil type.
  • Be careful to not overcook the noodles or your finished dish could end up mushy. Also, after the noodles have drained don’t leave them in the colander in a clump. Instead, drape them over the sides of the colander to keep them from becoming a stuck-together mess. This will ensure you can actually use them for layering!
• Chicken: I like to use rotisserie chicken in this dish. It’s convenient and has tons of flavor!
• Mozzarella: Use whole milk mozzarella.

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Lasagna leftovers can hang out in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Longer than that and the sauce starts to separate, adding excess water to your leftovers container. That water soaks into the noodles and makes them extra mushy, which works against that lovely chewy texture we all adore!
• Can You Freeze This? YES!  Wrap tightly with plastic wrap then wrap with aluminum foil. How do you get the plastic wrap to stick you ask? Well, here’s the trick: Lay a double wide strip of plastic wrap 8 inches longer than your casserole dish flat on the counter. Set the casserole dish in the center of the plastic. Tightly fold up all the sides. Then cover the top with more plastic wrap. Works like magic because plastic sticks best to itself and not as well to glass or ceramic! Just make sure to cool it first! The frozen lasagna will last up to three months.
• Make-Ahead Tips: The best way to speed up your lasagna process is to make the component ingredients ahead of time! The cheese sauce and ricotta mixture will keep in the fridge for up to four days. The only element I wouldn’t recommend making ahead of time is the pasta — cooked noodles on their own do not keep well!

How To Make Chicken Lasagna Recipe

1. Combine all the ingredients for the ricotta filling.
2. Stir together in a mixing bowl until well combined; set aside.
3. Melt the butter, add onion, and garlic, and saute until soft.
4. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook.
5. Whisk constantly for 1 minute.
6. Remove pan from heat and slowly whisk in half and half and chicken broth until smooth.
7. Return skillet to low heat and stir in Parmesan, salt, and pepper, then simmer gently until cheese is melted.
8. Prepare all the ingredients.
9. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce on the prepared baking dish. Layer 4 noodles to cover the bottom of the dish.
10. Then half the ricotta mixture
11. Half the chicken
12. 1/3 of the mozzarella, and
13. 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat the layers again.
14. Top with the remaining 4 noodles, then the remaining sauce and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake.
15. Uncover and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbly and the cheese is golden.

More Yummy Pasta Dishes

• Chicken Riggies
• Baked Ziti With Sausage
• Cacio e Pepe
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
  
• Pasta Alla Norma
• One Pot Pasta
• Chicken Noodle Casserole
• Turkey Tetrazzini

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Chicken Lasagna

Chicken lasagna marries traditional Italian lasagna with the tender protein punch of chicken in this party-perfect awesome dish!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Servings: 8 Servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Ricotta Filling:

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 24 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach,  thawed and added to a fine sieve and pressed very firmly with the back of a large spoon to remove all moisture.
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, julienned
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Layering Ingredients:

• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled
• 1 rotisserie chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, skin, and bones removed and discarded
• 16 ounces mozzarella, shredded

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a deep 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• Stir together all the ingredients for the ricotta filling in a mixing bowl until well combined; set aside.
• In a large, high sided skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and slowly whisk in half and half and chicken broth until smooth.
• Return skillet to low heat and stir in Parmesan, salt, and pepper, then simmer gently until cheese is melted.

Assembly:

• Spread about 1 cup of the sauce on of the prepared baking dish. Layer 4 noodles to cover the bottom of dish, then half the ricotta mixture, half the chicken, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat the layers again. Top with remaining 4 noodles, then the remaining sauce and remaining cheese.
• Cover lasagna with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbly and the cheese is golden.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
• 
  Crockpot Lasagna (Comfort Food!)
• 
  Mostaccioli
• 
  Taco Lasagna

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