This Creamy Hen Lasagna recipe is brimming with layers of juicy rooster, tender noodles, and velvety home made white sauce with loads of gooey, melty cheese. It’s the final word consolation meals that’s make-ahead pleasant!
Tacky White Hen Lasagna Recipe
Apart from desserts, should you ask me what one in all our favourite consolation meals is on this home, it needs to be home made lasagna. We make it so typically, I even discovered a shortcut within the type of quick, simple Instant Pot Lasagna.
This creamy white rooster lasagna recipe is oven-baked the great old style method. It’s constituted of layers of essentially the most irresistibly creamy white sauce, tender rooster, and a mix of melty cheese and spinach, stacked between lasagna noodles. It bakes up deliciously golden in underneath an hour, and it’s value each minute!
Make this white lasagna forward and freeze it, or preserve it within the fridge for simple lunches all week lengthy. The tacky flavors are wealthy, comforting, and excellent for any time of the 12 months.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This creamy rooster lasagna is a enjoyable twist on conventional lasagna that’s simply as comforting. Right here’s why we find it irresistible:
Burn up leftover rooster. If in case you have a rotisserie rooster available, or rooster breasts from final night time’s dinner kicking across the fridge, this lasagna is a superb method to make use of it. The remainder of the components are easy, too, so there’s a very good likelihood they’re already within the pantry!
Stuffed with taste. This lasagna is actually layer upon layer of hearty taste. It has juicy rooster, seasoned cheese filling, plus a wealthy, buttery white sauce in between layers of tender noodles beneath golden, melty cheese.
Make-ahead pleasant. This rooster lasagna is straightforward to make forward and stow away for last-minute freezer meals.
Elements You’ll Want
Under is a brief overview of the components you’ll must make your rooster lasagna. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card beneath the put up for the total ingredient particulars and quantities.
Lasagna Noodles: You’ll want 16 lasagna pasta sheets in complete.
Hen: This recipe is an effective way to make use of up leftover cooked Chicken Breast. Alternatively, you should purchase a ready-cooked rotisserie rooster, or make shredded chicken at home.
Spinach: I really like together with chopped contemporary spinach in my lasagna, for further diet and a pop of inexperienced.
Cheese: This lasagna recipe combines ricotta and mozzarella for the cheese filling. Put aside further mozzarella for sprinkling over high of the ultimate layer.
Egg: Including an egg to the filling layer helps to bind the components, for extra secure slices.
Seasonings: I combine Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the cheese for much more taste.
For the Cream Sauce
Butter: As a result of each good cream sauce begins with butter.
Shallot and Garlic: It’s also possible to use finely diced white or yellow onion instead of shallots, together with garlic for aromatics.
Flour: You’ll stir a little bit of all-purpose flour into the butter for a roux, which acts as the bottom and thickener for the sauce.
Half and Half: Or heavy cream, so as to add richness to the white sauce.
Cream Cheese: I like to recommend utilizing the kind of cream cheese that is available in blocks, dropped at room temperature earlier than you begin. Reduce it into cubes in order that melts simply into the opposite sauce components.
Parmesan: No white sauce is full with out parmesan cheese. Freshly grated is finest, however the common pre-grated sort is ok, too.
Salt and Pepper
How you can Make Hen Lasagna
Whereas the oven preheats to 375ºF, calmly spritz a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. You’ll begin with some fast prep:
Cook dinner the Pasta: Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil, and cook dinner the lasagna sheets al dente in keeping with the package deal instructions. Drain, then return the noodles to the pot with chilly water to 1) cease the noodles from persevering with to cook dinner and a couple of) preserve them from sticking whilst you put together the filling.
Shred the Hen: Shred up or cube up your cooked rooster. I virtually at all times have a batch of Shredded Chicken stashed in my freezer, too. It actually turns out to be useful for recipes like this!
Combine the Cheese Filling: Mix ricotta, spinach, and mozzarella with an egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir every little thing collectively and set the bowl apart for now.
Making ready the White Sauce
As soon as your different components are prepped and ready, you’ll make the white sauce:
Sauté: Start by sautéing the shallots in a big skillet with melted butter. Subsequent, add the garlic, adopted by the flour. Let the flour cook dinner off for a few minutes, to create what’s known as a roux.
Mix and Cook dinner: Whisk in your broth, half-and-half, cream cheese, and parmesan, then season to style with salt and pepper. Hold whisking whereas the sauce bubbles and thickens, then take it off the warmth.
Assembling and Baking Hen Lasagna
Bear in mind to empty and pat dry your cooked lasagna noodles earlier than assembling your lasagna. Now, you’re able to put every little thing collectively and bake:
Assemble: Starting by spreading a layer of white sauce into the underside of your ready baking dish, adopted by a primary layer of pasta noodles. Prime the pasta layer with cheese filling, adopted by shredded rooster, and at last one other skinny layer of white sauce. Repeat twice extra, ending with a last layer of sauce earlier than sprinkling over mozzarella cheese.
Bake: Bake the lasagna for 35 minutes underneath foil, then take away the foil and bake for one more 10 minutes or so, till golden and bubbly on the edges. Permit the lasagna to relaxation for quarter-hour after it leaves the oven, then garnish with parsley, slice, and serve.
Ideas and Variation Concepts
I really like lasagna recipes as a result of they’re practically fail-proof! Listed here are some further ideas for the perfect home made rooster lasagna, together with some ingredient variations:
Pat dry the lasagna noodles. After you’ve drained the noodles for the second time and earlier than layering your lasagna, pat the noodles dry in order that your lasagna doesn’t come out too watery.
Tent the foil with toothpicks. Stick a couple of toothpicks into the highest of the lasagna to maintain the foil from mendacity towards the cheese.
Let the lasagna relaxation earlier than slicing. Slicing into your lasagna whereas it’s nonetheless sizzling from the oven will end in soupy, messy slices. Give the lasagna about quarter-hour for the cheese and filling to arrange for cleaner slicing.
Make it spicy. Add a sprinkle of crushed crimson chili flakes to the cheese filling for a refined, spicy kick.
Use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. For those who don’t have ricotta cheese, substitute it with the identical quantity of cottage cheese as a substitute.
Serving Ideas
This creamy white rooster lasagna is a meal by itself, or you possibly can bulk up a comfy household dinner with Garlic Knots or a vegetable facet, like Air Fryer Asparagus. I’ve additionally served this lasagna for dinner events, main into the meal with a starter of Tomato Feta Soup and a facet of contemporary backyard salad tossed in Mediterranean Dressing. End issues off with Homemade Cheesecake for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftover Lasagna
This white sauce lasagna may be very make-ahead pleasant. Typically I’ll make two: one to take pleasure in immediately, and one other to retailer or freeze for last-minute dinners down the street (see the following part for particulars on the right way to freeze it).
Retailer your baked and cooled rooster lasagna hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Reheat the lasagna within the oven, lined in foil at 350ºF till warmed via. It’s also possible to reheat particular person servings within the microwave. Sprinkle a little bit of water over the lasagna previous to reheating, to assist retain a number of the moisture.
Can I Freeze Hen Lasagna?
Completely! You may freeze the entire lasagna, or freeze parts. Merely wrap it tightly in plastic wrap plus a layer of foil, and preserve it frozen for as much as 3 months. Defrost the lasagna both within the fridge in a single day, or within the microwave, after which reheat as common.
A Creamy Hen Lasagna recipe brimming with juicy rooster and tender noodles layered with home made white lasagna sauce and loads of gooey, melty cheese.
1 pound lasagna pasta sheets, 16 complete
4 cups cooked rooster, shredded from 12 ounce rotisserie rooster or 2 kilos cooked and cubed rooster breast
Elective- chopped parsley for garnish
Cheese Filling
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 ounces contemporary spinach, chopped
4 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1 complete egg
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Cream Sauce
6 tablespoons salted butter
1 complete shallot minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rooster broth
3 cups half and half
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature and cubed
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon floor black pepper
Prep: Preheat the oven to 375?F. Coat a 9×13 baking pan calmly with nonstick spray. Put aside.
Cook dinner the pasta in a big pot of salted water till al dente in keeping with package deal directions. Drain the noodles. Put the noodles again within the pot and fill with chilly water to cease cooking and forestall the noodles from sticking. (see word*)
Shred or dice the rooster and put aside.
Cheese Filling: In a big bowl stir collectively the ricotta, spinach, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Put aside.
Cream Sauce: Warmth a big skillet over medium warmth. Soften the butter and add within the shallots. Proceed cooking for 3 – 4 minutes till softened and calmly golden. Add within the garlic and cook dinner for an extra minute. Sprinkle the flour into the combination and cook dinner for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk within the broth, half and half, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Proceed whisking till easy and cook dinner till bubbly and barely thickened. Take away from the warmth.
Meeting: Unfold 1/4 cup of the white sauce throughout the underside. Add a layer of pasta throughout the underside (4 noodles) and high that with 1/3 of the cheese filling. Prime with 1/3 of the rooster, then 1/4 of the sauce.
Repeat these layers 2 extra occasions. Unfold the remaining sauce on high of the final layer of noodles and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on high.
Cowl with foil and bake for 35 minutes (*see word). Take away the foil and bake for an extra 10 minutes or till the highest and edges are calmly golden.
Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Permit the lasagna to sit down for quarter-hour earlier than chopping and serving.
Notes
Earlier than assembling the lasagna, pat the noodles dry.
Earlier than overlaying with foil to bake you possibly can place a couple of toothpicks within the lasagna to stop the foil from sticking to the cheese.
Retailer hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Key phrases: rooster lasagna, white rooster lasagna, white lasagna