How To Make The Ultimate White Chicken Lasagna
This White Chicken Lasagna boasts towering layers of delicious pasta for ultimate flavor and satisfaction. It’s stacked with layers of pasta, a homemade chicken besciamella sauce, creamy cheesy filling spiked with spinach and artichokes, and oozing mozzarella cheese nestled between sheets of perfectly cooked lasagna noodles. This lasagna captivates the tastebuds and creates lasting memories of the BEST Chicken Alfredo Lasagna imaginable.
Servings: 18 servings
Calories: 462kcal
Ingredients
For the pasta layering:
- 15 classic lasagna noodles NOT no-boil
- 1 pound shredded full-fat mozzarella 4 cups
Chicken Alfredo Besciamella Sauce
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter may sub half olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ oz. all-purpose flour ⅓ cup
- 2 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 3 cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chicken boullion
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 7 oz. Parmesan cheese 2 cups freshly grated
- 14 ¾ oz. Rotisserie chicken 3 cups shredded
Ricotta Cheese and Vegetable Filling:
- 2 eggs
- 26 ½ oz. whole milk ricotta cheese 3 cups
- 8⅛ oz. sour cream 1 cup full fat
- 1 ¾ oz. Parmesan cheese ½ cup freshly grated
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil or 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 14 oz. artichoke hearts patted VERY DRY and chopped
- 16 oz. frozen spinach thawed, chopped, and patted VERY DRY
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from fresh lemon
Instructions
- NOODLES: Place lasagna noodles into the bottom of a long pan. Pour hot tap water over the noodles until they are submerged. Let them soak while you prep the lasagna – at least 30 minutes. Agitate the noodles with your hands occasionally to prevent them from sticking together.
- FILLING: Add all of the Ricotta Filling ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- ALFREDO SAUCE: Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat then whisk in flour and garlic. Cook, while stirring for 2 minutes. Turn heat to low then gradually whisk in half and half, chicken broth and all spices/seasonings.
- Bring to a boil, whisking constantly then reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened (but not overly thick), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in Parmesan cheese until melted. Stir in chicken until well combined. Add additional milk if needed to thin.
- ASSEMBLE: Lightly grease a deep 9x13 pan. Spread 1 cup Alfredo sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan (layer will be thin). Place 4 noodles (dried off) lengthwise and part of a 5th noodle on top to cover. Spread with ⅓ of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat these layers 2 more times: Alfredo sauce (use one third of remaining Alfredo per layer, about 2 cups), noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella for a total of 3 complete layers. To finish, top with remaining third Alfredo sauce and remaining mozzarella (1 cup).
- BAKE: Cover lasagna with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Turn the oven to broil (550 degree F) without moving the lasagna. Broil until the top is golden in spots, about 3 minutes, watching closely so it doesn’t burn. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Thin sauce if needed. Alfredo sauce can become too thick if its simmered at too high of heat or for too long or if it’s allowed to sit; but don’t worry, it’s SO easy to fix! Simply stir in a little milk or chicken broth until it thins to desired consistency.
Squeeze the frozen spinach dry. You'll want VERY DRY spinach so the Chicken Lasagna doesn’t become watery. I recommend adding defrosted spinach to a fine mesh sieve over the sink then press down on it with the bottom of a measuring cup until no liquid is released.
Pat artichokes dry. Same goes for the artichokes - we want VERY DRY artichokes or they can make the ricotta filling watery. Pat artichokes down with paper towels before you chop them. After you chop them, gather them in a clean kitchen towel and pat dry again.
Dry lasagna noodles. Take care you pat your noodles dry after soaking them before layering. I do this by laying each layer of noodles (so 5 noodles at a time) on a clean kitchen towel, then folding the towel over the noodles and patting them dry.
Don’t worry about thin layers. The chicken Alfredo sauce layer will seem thin, but don’t worry about it – just spread the best you can and it will spread and melt into cohesive creaminess as it bakes.
Recipe Variations Here are a few ideas:
Make Sauce in Advance. You can make the sauce up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Before making the lasagna, warm the sauce on the stove, adding additional broth or milk to thin when ready to use. HOW TO FREEZE UNCOOKED LASAGNA
Recipe Variations Here are a few ideas:
- You can swap the chicken for ground turkey, Italian sausage or even lump crab/lobster meat.
- Add additional veggies. Add steamed broccoli, petite peas, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, etc. You'll want to cook the veggies before adding them to the pasta.
- Sun-dried tomatoes are a delicious addition with the artichokes and spinach. Rinse and pat dry before chopping. If adding the sun-dried tomatoes, reduce the spinach to 12 oz.
- For the olive lover add a layer of olives on top of the ricotta mixture or swap some of the artichokes or spinach for olives. Add some feta cheese to give this lasagna more of a Greek flair.
- You may make this casserole gluten-free by using your favoite gluten free lasagna noodles and gluten free flour in the white sauce.
Make Sauce in Advance. You can make the sauce up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Before making the lasagna, warm the sauce on the stove, adding additional broth or milk to thin when ready to use. HOW TO FREEZE UNCOOKED LASAGNA
- Assemble lasagna according to recipe directions in a freezer safe dish.
- Cover lasagna tightly all around the dish with 2 layers of plastic wrap.
- Cover the lasagna tightly with one layer of aluminum foil.
- Place evenly in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, place lasagna in the refrigerator the night before to completely thaw.
- Remove plastic wrap and recover with the foil.
- Bake lasagna according to directions, adding an additional 10-15 minutes.
HOW TO FREEZE COOKED LASAGNA - Bake lasagna according to directions in a freezer safe dish.
- Let cool on the counter for 2 hours.
- Cover lasagna with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill completely.
- Cover lasagna tightly with a second layer of plastic wrap.
- Cover the lasagna tightly with aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Before you're ready to bake, allow the frozen lasagna to thaw in the fridge for the 48 hours.
- Before baking remove the plastic wrap and recover the lasagna with foil
- Bake entire lasagna according to directions, adding an additional 10-15 minutes.
HOW TO FREEZE INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS OF LASAGNA - Let lasagna cool completely then slice into individual serving.
- Freeze lasagna in freezer safe plastic bags or wrap each portion with plastic wrap.
- To reheat, remove from plastic bag or remove plastic wrap and bake individual servings at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.
HOW TO COOK LASAGNA FROM FROZEN - Remove plastic wrap from lasagna and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake lasagna covered at 350 degrees F for 1 ½ hours.
- Uncover and bake an additional 15-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 936mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3808IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 487mg | Iron: 2mg