White Chicken Lasagna

Categories: Casseroles, Chicken, Company Dish, Italian, Pasta, Poultry

Ingredients

• SAUCE:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1//2 cup flour
• 4 cups milk
• -
• FILLING:
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 pound mushrooms
• 3/4 pound fresh spinach
• 2 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 15 ounce container whole-milk ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 15 (or more) 7x3 1/2 inch sheets dry no-boil lasagna
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

1. SAUCE: In a sauce pan melt butter over moderately low heat.

2. Stir in flour and cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes.

3. Add milk in a stream and bring mixture to a boil, whisking until thick and smooth

4. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer sauce over low heat, whisking occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened.

5. Transfer sauce to a bowl and cover surface with a buttered round of wax paper. Yes, this is absolutely necessary.

6. FILLING: Into a small bowl crumble oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme.

7. Thinly slice mushrooms.

8. Discard coarse stems from spinach and coarsely chop spinach.

9. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch strips.

10. In a large skillet melt butter over moderate heat and cook chicken, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, and half of herb mixture, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

11. Transfer chicken with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

12. Add wine to skillet and bring mixture to a boil, stirring.

13. Add mushrooms and spinach and cook, covered, until spinach is wilted.

14. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, remaining herb mixture, Tabasco and salt and pepper to taste and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid given off by mushrooms is evaporated. This could take a while.

15. Transfer mushroom mixture to chicken and stir until combined well.

16. Reserving 1 cup sauce, add remaining sauce with salt and pepper to taste to chicken mixture and stir until combined well.

17. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and butter or spray with Pam a 13×9 inch lasagna pan.

18. TIP: You will now be working with the dry no-boil lasagna sheets. I take the sheets of no-boil lasagna and pull them through a stream of luke warm tap water to pre-moisten them. I find that if I do this it doesn’t matter if the sheets touch other. Also you can break them to size to fill in empty spots.

19. FILLING CONTINUED: In a bowl whisk together ricotta, egg, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

20. BUILDING LASAGNA: Pour 1/2 cup reserved sauce into baking dish. Sauce will not cover bottom completely, just spread evenly around. Cover this layer of sauce with pasta sheets that you have pulled through the warm water.

21. Spread half of chicken mixture over pasta sheets in pan and top with another layer of pasta sheets.

22. Spread half of ricotta mixture over pasta and top with another layer of pasta sheets.

23. Continue layering lasagna in same manner with remaining chicken mixture, pasta sheets and ricotta mixture, ending with pasta.

24. Spread remaining 1/2 cup sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan.

25. Lasagna may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

26. Bake lasagna in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. This will take longer if you made the day ahead and it is cold from the refrigerator.

27. Recipe says it serves 6, but it is a pretty rich dish and I think that a 13×9 inch lasagna pan will serve more than 6.

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