This Creamy Rooster Lasagna recipe is brimming with layers of juicy hen, tender noodles, and velvety do-it-yourself white sauce with loads of gooey, melty cheese. It’s the last word consolation meals that’s make-ahead pleasant!
Tacky White Rooster Lasagna Recipe
Except for desserts, should you ask me what one in every of our favourite consolation meals is on this home, it must be do-it-yourself lasagna. We make it so usually, I even discovered a shortcut within the type of quick, straightforward Instant Pot Lasagna.
This creamy white hen lasagna recipe is oven-baked the nice old style approach. It’s produced from layers of essentially the most irresistibly creamy white sauce, tender hen, and a mix of melty cheese and spinach, stacked between lasagna noodles. It bakes up deliciously golden in below 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 ideal for any time of the yr.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This creamy hen lasagna is a enjoyable twist on conventional lasagna that’s simply as comforting. Right here’s why we find it irresistible:
Dissipate leftover hen. When you’ve got a rotisserie hen readily available, or hen breasts from final night time’s dinner kicking across the fridge, this lasagna is an excellent approach to make use of it. The remainder of the elements are easy, too, so there’s an excellent likelihood they’re already within the pantry!
Stuffed with taste. This lasagna is actually layer upon layer of hearty taste. It has juicy hen, seasoned cheese filling, plus a wealthy, buttery white sauce in between layers of tender noodles beneath golden, melty cheese.
Make-ahead pleasant. This hen lasagna is simple to make forward and stow away for last-minute freezer meals.
Substances You’ll Want
Beneath is a brief overview of the elements you’ll have to make your hen lasagna. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card under the publish for the total ingredient particulars and quantities.
Lasagna Noodles: You’ll want 16 lasagna pasta sheets in whole.
Rooster: This recipe is an effective way to make use of up leftover cooked Chicken Breast. Alternatively, you should purchase a ready-cooked rotisserie hen, or make shredded chicken at home.
Spinach: I really like together with chopped recent spinach in my lasagna, for additional 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 elements, for extra steady 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: You may also 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, delivered to room temperature earlier than you begin. Lower it into cubes in order that melts simply into the opposite sauce elements.
Parmesan: No white sauce is full with out parmesan cheese. Freshly grated is finest, however the common pre-grated variety is okay, too.
Salt and Pepper
Learn how to Make Rooster Lasagna
Whereas the oven preheats to 375ºF, calmly spritz a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. You’ll begin with some fast prep:
Prepare dinner the Pasta: Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil, and cook dinner the lasagna sheets al dente in line with the bundle 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 pair of) preserve them from sticking when you put together the filling.
Shred the Rooster: Shred up or cube up your cooked hen. 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 elements 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 referred to as a roux.
Mix and Prepare dinner: Whisk in your broth, half-and-half, cream cheese, and parmesan, then season to style with salt and pepper. Preserve whisking whereas the sauce bubbles and thickens, then take it off the warmth.
Assembling and Baking Rooster Lasagna
Keep 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 hen, and eventually one other skinny layer of white sauce. Repeat twice extra, ending with a ultimate layer of sauce earlier than sprinkling over mozzarella cheese.
Bake: Bake the lasagna for 35 minutes below 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 almost fail-proof! Listed below are some further ideas for the most effective do-it-yourself hen 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 just a few toothpicks into the highest of the lasagna to maintain the foil from mendacity in opposition to the cheese.
Let the lasagna relaxation earlier than slicing. Reducing into your lasagna whereas it’s nonetheless scorching from the oven will lead to 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 pink chili flakes to the cheese filling for a delicate, 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 an alternative.
Serving Options
This creamy white hen lasagna is a meal by itself, or you may bulk up a comfortable 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 recent backyard salad tossed in Mediterranean Dressing. End issues off with Homemade Cheesecake for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftover Lasagna
This white sauce lasagna could be very make-ahead pleasant. Generally I’ll make two: one to get pleasure from instantly, and one other to retailer or freeze for last-minute dinners down the street (see the following part for particulars on freeze it).
Retailer your baked and cooled hen lasagna hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Reheat the lasagna within the oven, lined in foil at 350ºF till warmed by. You may also 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 Rooster Lasagna?
Completely! You’ll be able to 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 typical.
A Creamy Rooster Lasagna recipe brimming with juicy hen and tender noodles layered with do-it-yourself white lasagna sauce and loads of gooey, melty cheese.
1 pound lasagna pasta sheets, 16 whole
4 cups cooked hen, shredded from 12 ounce rotisserie hen or 2 kilos cooked and cubed hen breast
Optionally available- chopped parsley for garnish
Cheese Filling
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 ounces recent 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 hen 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.
Prepare dinner the pasta in a big pot of salted water till al dente in line with bundle 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 observe*)
Shred or dice the hen 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 a further 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 hen, 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 observe). Take away the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes or till the highest and edges are calmly golden.
Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Permit the lasagna to take a seat for quarter-hour earlier than slicing and serving.
Notes
Earlier than assembling the lasagna, pat the noodles dry.
Earlier than protecting with foil to bake you may place just a few 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: hen lasagna, white hen lasagna, white lasagna