Rich and cheesy, our creamy white chicken lasagna is full of plenty of goodness, from tender noodles to chicken and plenty of melted cheese.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: White Chicken Lasagna Recipe
Servings: 12
Calories: 514kcal
Ingredients
9lasagna noodles,cooked al dente (salt for water and 1 tablespoon olive oil to prevent sticking if needed)
3 ½cupsshredded chicken,from a 3-pound store bought rotisserie chicken
Spinach Cream Sauce
6tablespoonssalted butter,room temperature
¾cupyellow onion,finely diced
1tablespoonfresh garlic,finely minced
1teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoonsalt
¼cupall-purpose flour
1 ¼cupschicken broth
1 ¼cupsheavy cream
1cupshredded parmesan cheese
3cupslightly packed baby spinach,roughly chopped
Ricotta Cheese Mixture
15ounceswhole milk ricotta cheese
1largeegg,room temperature
4cupsshredded whole milk mozzarella cheese,from a 16-ounce block (divided into 2 ½ cups in the mixture and 1 ½ cups on the top)
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
Optional Garnish
fresh parsley,chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente according to package directions. Drain then return to the pot and set aside. Add olive oil to the boiling water along with the salt if desired, or drizzle over the noodles to prevent sticking after draining.
Using your hands, or two forks, shred the white and dark meat from a rotisserie chicken and set aside.
Spinach Cream Sauce
In a 3-quart sauce pan over medium heat, add the salted butter, onion, garlic, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Whisk in the all-purpose flour until fully absorbed by the butter. While whisking constantly, slowly add the chicken broth and heavy cream until fully incorporated and no lumps of flour remain. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Be sure to whisk the sauce often to ensure it does not clump or burn.
Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the parmesan cheese until fully incorporated. Add the baby spinach stirring until fully incorporated and the spinach has wilted completely into the sauce. Set aside to cool slightly while preparing the ricotta cheese mixture.
Ricotta Cheese Mixture
Stir together in a large bowl the ricotta cheese, egg, 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, salt, and black pepper until well combined. Set aside.
Assembling The White Chicken Lasagna
To the bottom of a deep sided 9x13 baking dish, evenly spread ½-¾ cup of the spinach cream sauce then place three of the cooked lasagna noodles evenly into the bottom of the dish.
Top the noodles with half the reserved ricotta cheese mixture being sure to carefully spread out into an even layer.
Sprinkle half the shredded chicken evenly over the ricotta cheese layer then spoon a third of the remaining spinach cream sauce over the chicken.
Place down three more lasagna noodles, the remaining ricotta cheese mixture and the remaining shredded chicken. Top with another third of the sauce, followed by the remaining three noodles and the final third of the sauce.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top then bake for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly golden on the top.
Remove the white chicken lasagna from the oven and let it cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to allow the sauce to cool slightly and set before slicing and serving. Garnish with a light sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley if desired before serving.
Notes
We do not recommend freezing this lasagna as the cream sauce will not freeze then thaw well before or after baking.
Two large (approximately 1 ½ - 1 ¾ pounds total weight) boneless skinless chicken breast can be boiled, or pressure cooked, cooled then shredded for use in this recipe as a substitute for the rotisserie chicken.
Use whole milk ricotta cheese and whole milk mozzarella cheese for the best consistency when baked of the ricotta cheese mixture.