Chicken Lasagna

I recently came across a recipe for pasta shells stuffed with chicken and cheese. While that recipe sounded like too much work, to me, it got me thinking about another idea. Thus, unfolded the Chicken Lasagna recipe here! We loved this, and decided the recipe is definitely a keeper.

chicken, broccoli, cheese mixture

Ingredients - enough for 3 servings (or, 4 smaller servings, if served with a salad or side); I froze the leftovers, and my husband will have them for lunch in the near future.

some of the ingredients I started with

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons trans-fat-free butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain flour
• 4 oz. low fat cream cheese
• 1½ cups fat-free milk
• 3 tablespoons low fat parmesan cheese, grated - I used refrigerated Kraft jar cheese for this.
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
• 1 generous cup partially cooked broccoli, chopped - I used a bit more than 1 cup.
• ¾ cup low fat mozzarella cheese
• 3 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese, grated (or, mozzarella will do, if you prefer)
• 6 whole-grain lasagna noodles - I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest
• Nutmeg - I strongly suggest not omitting the nutmeg; it compliments the entire dish!

Directions

cream sauce

To prepare the cream sauce, heat oil and butter in skillet over low heat on stove. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute, stirring. Stir in flour until mixture starts to thicken. Add cream cheese, and stir until melted. Whisk in milk, a little at a time. Stir in 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese and season with freshly ground pepper. Heat mixture to melt the cheeses, being careful not to boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, and mozzarella cheese. Season with pepper, if desired. - Photo at the top of this post.

ready for the oven

Pour half of the cream sauce into a 7" x 11" pan. Top with half the lasagna noodles, and then half the chicken mixture. Next, layer with remaining lasagna noodles, and then remaining chicken mixture. Pour remaining cream sauce over all, making sure to cover noodles. Top with 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese. 

after baking

Thunk the pan on the counter gently to ensure that the sauce settles around the noodles. Season lightly with freshly ground pepper, and ground nutmeg.

Cover with foil and bake until done—30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil during last 10 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

The first time I prepared this, I used only 1 cup of milk. Although the flavor was still excellent, I decided we wanted a bit more cream sauce, so I adjusted the recipe slightly to accommodate that.

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