Recipe Sunday: Chicken Lasagna

This is my favorite recipe for lasagna, as it is more cheesy than it is saucy. If you are feeling really adventurous, you can throw in a few blue cheese crumbles. Like all lasagna, it is even better the day after!

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 18 ounces tomato sauce (you can make your own with onions, garlic, and canned or fresh tomatoes, or you can just use about 3/4 jar of spaghetti sauce)
  • two 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
  • 8 ounces cottage cheese
  • 8 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 lb shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 package lasagna noodles (I use the no-boil, oven-ready kind)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation
Cut the chicken breasts into 3 – 4 large pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and saute, a few minutes per side. Add the sauce to the chicken, making sure the sauce doesn’t completely cover the chicken. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes.

If you don’t have the oven-ready lasagna noodles, cook your noodles according to package directions but take them out a minute or two before the instructions say they are done, since the pasta will continue cooking in the oven. When the chicken is cooked, shred it and return the shredded chicken to the skillet and mix with the tomato sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13×9 baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Now you are ready to assemble the lasagna. First, place a layer of noodles. Then, spread a thick layer of the cheese mixture (about a third) evenly over the noodles. Add about half of the shredded chicken and sauce. Add another layer of noodles, another third of the cheese mixture, and the rest of the chicken and sauce. Finish with a layer of noodles, the rest of the cheese mixture, the remainder of the mozzarella cheese, and the Parmesan cheese, in that order.

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes. Let the lasagna sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *