Chicken Lasagna

New to Chicken Lasagna? Think – Crispy edges, a gooey, cheesy center, perfectly cooked fresh lasagna pasta sheets in between a creamy parmesan white sauce, a rich chicken tomato sauce and melted cheese!

A completely amazing, totally delicious chicken lasagna recipe that is always a favorite!

Chicken Lasagna is a simple way to make an Italian favorite. Try it once, and you’ll be converted for life! Family and friends gather around the dinner table at any time for this lasagna recipe.

Whether you’re looking to feed a crowd, or preparing a large amount of food to put away and keep yourself well fed throughout the week, this chicken lasagna recipe is a great option.

WHAT IS LASAGNA?

Lasagne are a type of wide, flat pasta, possibly one of the oldest types of pasta. Lasagne, or the singular lasagna, is an Italian dish made of stacked layers of thin flat pasta alternating with fillings such as ragù and other vegetables, cheese, and seasonings and spices such as garlic, oregano and basil.

WHAT LASAGNA SHEETS TO USE?

You can use any the following one:

• Fresh lasagna sheets – these are fresh sheets that are sold in the refrigerator section. These do not require cooking before layering up and baking.
• Dried lasagna sheets, require cooking – these sheets need to be cooked per the packet directions before assembling the lasagna.
• Dried, instant / no cook/ oven ready – these are dried lasagna sheets that can be layered up and used without pre cooking. In this recipe I have used this oven ready lasagne sheets

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN LASAGNA?

Lasagna is a fun way to layer delicious ingredients to make an appetizing meal. To make this chicken lasagna recipe, here’s what you’ll need to do:

Chicken Sauce:

In a large pan, heat olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the raw smell goes off and onion becomes translucent. Add the grounded chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the seasonings, olives, jalapenos and sauté for 3 minutes. Then add the traditional sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste and keep aside.

White Sauce:

In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and add the garlic powder, chilli flakes, oregano.
Once the butter melts, add the flour and whisk until well blended. Reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps.
Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the cheese is melted through.

Layer:

Spray the 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of traditional sauce on the bottom of the dish and add the sheet on top of the sauce.
Layer with 1/2 cup of traditional sauce, 1 cup pf chicken sauce and 1 cup of white sauce and 1/2 cup cheese.
Repeat layers for atleast 3 times. Pour the remaining traditional sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake:

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbling at 400 F. Garnish with basil and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

HOW MANY LAYERS SHOULD CHICKEN LASAGNA HAVE?

Personally, I think it is best to have at least three layers in your lasagna. You can have more layers if you choose, just be sure to keep the layers as even as possible! This will ensure the chicken lasagna bakes evenly. The top layer should be a noodle and sauce and cheese layer.

CAN WE MAKE AHEAD THESE LASAGNA?

Lasagna can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated up to 2 days before baking. It can also be frozen before or after baking.

HOW TO STORE THE LEFTOVER LASAGNA?

Chicken lasagna will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator if you were using freshly cooked chicken.

HOW TO FREEZE THESE LASAGNA?

This chicken lasagna recipe will last in the freezer for 3 to 6 months when you properly stored in an airtight container.

WHAT SIDE DISHES GO WITH CHICKEN LASAGNA?

You can keep the Italian theme going with Classic Focaccia or Sourdough Focaccia or Garlic Bread along with some salads

Are you making this recipe? Then don’t forget to like and leave your comments for this recipe!  I LOVE to see your creations so snap a photo and tag BlendOfSpicesbySara on Instagram with the hashtag #blendofspicesbysara

CHICKEN LASAGNA RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

For Chicken Sauce:

1 lb chicken, grounded
1 cup traditional italian sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp olives, chopped
1 tbsp jalapeno, chopped

For White Sauce:

3 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp oregano
pinch of pepper powder
salt to taste
1/4 cup plain flour
3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup fresh shredded parmesan

For Layering:

1 packet oven ready lasagna sheets
2 cup traditional italian sauce
2 cup cheese, parmesan-cheddar-mozeralla mix
1 tomato, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

For Chicken Sauce:

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the raw smell goes off and onion becomes translucent.
2. Add the grounded chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the seasonings, olives, jalapenos and saute for 3 minutes.
3. Then add the traditional sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste and keep aside.

For White Sauce:

1. In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and add the garlic powder, chilli flakes, oregano.
2. Once the butter melts, remove from hot plate; add the flour and whisk for about 30 seconds, or until well blended.
3. Place pan back onto stove, reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk until it turns into a nice and creamy consistency.
4. Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
5. Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the cheese is melted through.

For Layering:

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F. Spray the 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Spread 1/2 cup of traditional sauce on the bottom of the dish and add the sheet on top of the sauce.
3. Layer with 1/2 cup of traditional sauce, 1 cup pf chicken sauce and 1 cup of white sauce and 1/2 cup cheese.
4. Repeat layers for at least 3 times. Pour the remaining traditional sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
6. Garnish with basil and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

RECIPE NOTES:

1. Let the lasagna sit/rest for at least 15 minutes once removed from the oven (even 30-45 minutes is fine). This will keep it from becoming runny and help it to keep its shape when cut.

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