White Chicken Lasagna
If you’ve never made White Chicken Lasagna before, then boy, are you in for a treat! This pasta dish is very similar to a traditional homemade lasagna, except it’s made with shredded rotisserie chicken and an insanely delicious white sauce. I’m a fan of any chicken pasta recipe, but this one is seriously next-level. You’ll definitely want to save this recipe the next time you’re craving something just a tad bit different for dinnertime! 😊
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After I made my spinach stuffed chicken breasts the other week, I realized just how much I love the combination of spinach and chicken when paired with a cheesy sauce. So, when my kids asked for homemade lasagna for dinner, I knew what I had to do! I switched the classic tomato sauce for an easy white sauce made from heavy cream, mozzarella, Parmesan, and baby spinach. And let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. When it’s layered with lasagna noodles, shredded chicken, and a creamy ricotta filling, it becomes a heavenly combination of flavors and textures. I know you’ll be hooked after just one bite.
advice
- Add a layer of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish before adding the lasagna noodles. This will stop them from sticking and make it easier to serve.
- I always like to cook 1 or 2 extra lasagna noodles just in case one of them breaks. That way, I have a backup noodle ready to go!
- Want to make this recipe go further? I slice my homemade white chicken lasagna into nine pieces, which makes a pretty big, hearty serving! You could also cut it into twelve pieces to feed more people or if you want extra leftovers.
- If you love this recipe, then I’m sure you’ll love my chicken spaghetti recipe too! It’s another baked chicken pasta dish made with tender chicken and a delicious, creamy sauce that does not disappoint! And since the ingredients list is fairly similar, you can easily make both recipes after one grocery trip.
White Chicken Lasagna Recipe
This White Chicken Lasagna blows traditional lasagna out of the water! With a creamy white sauce, shredded chicken, and spinach, it’s too good to resist.
Ricotta Mixture
- 15 oz. whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Lasagna
- 1 rotisserie chicken (about 3 cups cooked chicken)
- ½ Tbsp salt, for the pasta water
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
The method
- Start by preparing the ricotta cheese mixture. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, egg, and black pepper. Mix together until well combined and set aside.
- Remove the skin from the cooked rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off of the bones. Shred the chicken using two forks.
- While you are preparing the chicken, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add ½ Tbsp of salt to the water then add the lasagna noodles and boil until the pasta is tender (or al dente). Drain the pasta in a colander.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Then in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté for 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Stir in the flour and cook until the flour starts to turn light brown. Now slowly pour in the chicken broth and whisk the broth with the flour mixture until combined. Keep whisking or stirring until there are no lumps in the sauce.
- Add the Italian seasoning, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, garlic powder, heavy cream and ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to combine. Now add the chopped spinach to the sauce and stir to combine.
How to prepare
- To assemble the lasagna, spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Lay three noodles on top of the sauce. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Then top with ⅓ of the shredded chicken. Repeat the layers (sauce, noodles, ricotta, chicken) two more times. Finish with the remaining sauce, then top with 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella.
- Bake the lasagna in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the cheese is fully melted on top. Switch the oven to broil for the last 3-4 minutes to get the cheese brown. Watch it closely as it broils!
- Top with chopped parsley if desired, and slice into nine (or twelve) pieces. Serve and enjoy!
- I can’t imagine making this recipe without both the Parmesan and mozzarella. The Parmesan mixes into the sauce to make it extra cheesy, while the mozzarella gets all melty on top. It’s the BEST!
- I use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe to save time, but you can certainly cook 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs if you want and shred the meat.
