White Chicken Lasagna

I’ll show you step-by-step how to make a delicious white chicken lasagna from scratch.

I love making dishes that takes up a lot of time on a weekend. This allows me to make a giant dish an portion it out to put in the freezer for easy weekday meals. Lasagna is one of those dishes that, if you do it right, takes up an enormous amount of time but it is worth every bite.

Elements for a white chicken lasagna

The whole point of this chicken lasagna is the fact that it is white with specs of green. This means that I have to ensure that the flavours from the ingredients are robust and punchy as it will not come from browning off the chicken.

For this dish you will need the following:

• Lasagna sheets (these can be homemade, store bought, wholewheat, white, fresh, dried – anything your heart desires)
• Chicken filling
• Bechamel sauce
• Cheese of your choice (in keeping with the white, I chose mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and feta)

Chicken filling

First I poach the chicken breasts and (bone-in, skin on) thighs in some stock and white wine. This adds flavour to the chicken. Once the chicken is poached I remove the skin and bone and finely shred the meat, leaving it to one side to cool.

Whilst the meat is poaching, I blanch some baby spinach in hot water for a minute or two and quickly plunge it into ice cold water to preserve the colour and nutrients. Since it is going to be baked later I don’t want to overcook the spinach. I squeeze out the water and finely chop the spinach once cold.

To another bowl I add ricotta, finely chopped onion and garlic (just sautéd, but not browned), parmesan, feta, dried basil, dried oregano and dried thyme. I combine this with the cooled chicken and spinach and season with black pepper. I didn’t add any salt here as the parmesan and feta was already salty.

Set aside.

Bechamel sauce

Ensure that you have plenty of bechamel for this recipe as this is the only element that provides moisture to cook the pasta and keep the chicken filling moist.

For my bechamel sauce, I use equal parts butter and flour. First I melt the butter. Once melted I pull the pot off the heat and add the flour whisking it well to ensure that everything is mixed. I lower the heat to medium low and continue to cook out the flour for a minute or two.

In another pot, I have some milk that has been heated gently. I only put the milk into the flour-mixture by the ladle-full whilst whisking well to avoid lumps.

Once all the milk has been incorporated, season the bechamel with some nutmeg, english mustard powder, salt and white pepper.

Assembling and cooking the chicken lasagna

Start by putting down a layer of the bechamel. Then a layer of lasagna sheets. I like to do it this way as the bechamel gives the pasta the moisture to cook through and the lasagna sheets at the bottom gives me the stability of dishing a slice out without spilling the filling.

Then I spoon over half the chicken filling followed by a generous ladle or two of the bechamel. Then lasagna sheets to cover the whole lot. Follow with the remainder of the chicken filling, more bechamel, more lasagna sheets and finally finish with another layer of the bechamel.

Scatter cheese over the top of the dish (I use parmesan and mozzarella here) and place in the oven to cook through. Normally I put this in for half an hour. I check if it is done by inserting a knife all the way through. If there is no resistance from the pasta, I take it out of the oven. If there is resistance I leave it in for another 10 minutes.

This is the crucial part. Leave the lasagna uncovered on the stovetop to rest. If you cut into it now, it will just be a sloppy mess that is too hot to eat. Leaving it for 20 minutes not only ensures that it won’t burn your mouth when you eat it, but it will also give you a more definite slice that won’t slop everywhere.

Can you freeze chicken lasagna

Yes, absolutely. I find that it is best if you cook it from frozen, but then I leave it covered and place it in the oven at 180°C for around an hour to ensure it is piping hot all the way through. Bear in mind that I freeze it without baking it first.

If I freeze already baked lasagna, then defrost it first and only reheat it through (around 15 to 20 minutes in the oven). Low and slow is better than high and quick.

Can you use chicken mince in lasagna

Of, course you can. It most likely will alter the taste and texture of the lasagna and won’t add as much flavour, but yes, you can. Ensure your chicken is cooked before you assemble the dish.

How long does chicken lasagna last in the fridge

I will not keep it for more than 2-3 days. If you know you won’t be able to consume it within 2-3 days, rather freeze the lasagna as this will keep up to 30-45 days or a tad longer if you wrap it well.

What do you serve with chicken lasagna?

We like to either have a nice side salad for some freshness to cut through the richness of this lasagna or we prefer a selection of steamed vegetables to allow the lasagna to still be the star of the the show.

How do you like to serve your chicken lasagna? Let me know in the comments below!

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