Ingredients
Chicken & Stock
- 1 kg (2 lb) chicken breast or boneless skinless thigh
- 4 cups (1 L) milk, any fat percentage
- 2 cups (500 ml) chicken broth / stock
- 2 bay leaves, dried
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp Vegeta (or chicken stock powder/granulated bouillon)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Mushrooms
- 2 tbsp (30 g) butter, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 500 g (1 lb) mushrooms, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
White Sauce
- 50 g (4 tbsp) butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup (110 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (200 g) cheddar cheese, shredded
Lasagna
- 375 g (13 oz) fresh lasagna sheets (or 250 g/8 oz dried)
- 2 cups (200 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Poach Chicken: In a large saucepan, combine milk, chicken broth, and stock powder. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, black pepper, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover with lid and simmer gently on medium-low for 15 minutes, ensuring it does not boil to prevent milk from splitting. Remove chicken and shred using forks. Cover pot and keep the poaching liquid for later use.
- Cook Mushrooms: Heat half the butter and olive oil in a very large deep skillet over high heat. Add half the mushrooms, half the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining butter, oil, mushrooms, and garlic.
- Make White Sauce: Reduce heat to medium. Melt butter in the same skillet, then add garlic and stir until golden. Add flour and stir constantly for 1 minute. Gradually pour in 2 cups of reserved poaching liquid while stirring continuously, allowing sauce to thicken into a paste. Slowly add another cup of poaching liquid, then the remaining liquid, whisking well to avoid lumps. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- Combine with Chicken and Mushrooms: Remove 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) of the Alfredo sauce for topping later. Stir shredded chicken and cooked mushrooms into the remaining sauce mixture.
- Assemble Lasagna: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly smear some sauce on the base of a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 inch) baking dish. Layer with lasagna sheets covering the base, spread half of the chicken mixture over, add another layer of lasagna sheets, top with the remaining chicken mixture, and then another layer of lasagna sheets. Pour the reserved Alfredo sauce over the top and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly.
- Bake: Cover the baking dish loosely with foil or place an upside-down baking tray to cover (ensure it does not touch the cheese). Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the lasagna to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into portions. Optionally garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- Vegeta is a brand of vegetable stock powder that adds flavor and salt to dishes. It can be substituted with any vegetable or chicken stock powder or 2 crumbled bouillon cubes.
- For the cheese, any flavorful melting cheese such as Monterey Jack, Emmental, Swiss, or Colby can be used. Tasty cheese works but yields a slightly less smooth sauce.
- Fresh lasagna sheets are preferred as they require no pre-cooking and produce the best results. Dried lasagna sheets can be pre-cooked as per package instructions, or no-cook dried sheets can be used as an alternative.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Mains
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western
