Chicken Lasagna

I was in the mood for a white chicken lasagna. I came across this recipe, tweaked it a bit and got exactly what I wanted. I omitted the tomatoes called for in the original recipe, combined the chicken with the sauce, and loaded up the lasagna with cheese.  I had enough sauce for two full layers and enough pasta for the both of us plus enough leftovers for lunch the next day.

 

Chicken Lasagna
Adapted from Pink Bites (here)
makes 1 lasagna (9x13 inches); serves 2-4 people

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2 cups of warm milk
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
salt
pepper
1/2 package of lasagna noodles (no boil is easiest!)
2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend
1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking dish by coating it with cooking spray.

Cook the chicken breasts in water along with the bay leaf until cooked through. Drain and shred the meat.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium pot or pan. Add the flour and cook it until it's no longer raw, about 3 minutes, stirring. Add the warm milk slowly to the pot, whisking it constantly until all the milk is added and the sauce is smooth. Add the nutmeg and continue cooking until the sauce thickens it up enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the stove and set aside. Add chicken to white sauce.

Spoon some of the white sauce chicken mixture on the bottom of a the baking dish making sure to cover the entire bottom. Make one layer of lasagna noodles and top it with more of the white sauce and some of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Then top with pasta and repeat layers finishing with white sauce and cheese.

Bake it for 30-40 minutes or until get golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and wait 10 minutes before cutting the lasagna.

Original recipe note: If using the type of lasagna sheets that don't require pre-boiling make sure there is enough sauce to cover the entire lasagna, or it will be dry. If you think there is not enough white sauce, thin it out a little bit by adding more milk into it, a tablespoon at the time and whisking well after each addition. Re-season if necessary.