Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna

A slice of chicken broccoli lasagna on a white plate.

Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna

This chicken and broccoli lasagna is comfort food at its best. It's creamy, cheesy, and oh-so-delicious! This dish features layers of pasta, ricotta, chicken, broccoli, and gooey cheese, all smothered in a creamy white sauce.

You can make the bechamel sauce up to 5 days in advance or take a shortcut and purchase a couple of jars of Alfredo sauce. It's even easier if you use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from last night's dinner.

5 from 15 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings

Calories: 488kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

Bechamel Sauce (white sauce)

6 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves minced
6 tablespoons flour
5 cups whole milk
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Lasagna

12 ounces lasagna sheets fresh or dried
1 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes 7-ounce jar
16 ounces ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2-½ cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Havarti cheese or Fontina cheese
2 cups chopped broccoli florets

Instructions

For the Bechamel Sauce
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring.
Slowly pour in the milk while constantly whisking. When it gets lumpy, stop pouring the milk and whisk until smooth, then repeat until all the milk is added. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in the salt, nutmeg, pepper, and bay leaf.
Reduce the heat to low and bring it to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Remove the saucepan from the heat and press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.
For the Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
If you are using regular dried lasagna noodles, boil them according to the package directions then drain them and toss them with a bit of olive oil so they don’t stick to each other. If you are using no-boil oven ready lasagna noodles, soak them in warm water for 5 minutes (this gives them a better texture and bite). Skip this step if using fresh lasagna sheets.
Drain the oil from the sun dried tomatoes and chop them.
Combine the ricotta cheese, egg, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Combine the shredded cheese in another bowl.
Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a thin layer of the white Bechamel sauce. Top with a layer of lasagna pasta sheets, overlapping them slightly.
Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top the ricotta with ⅓ of the chicken, ⅓ of the broccoli, ⅓ of the sun dried tomatoes, ⅓ of the bechamel sauce, and ⅓ of the shredded cheese. Repeat the layers 2 more times.
Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake for 25 minutes then remove the foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.

Notes

You can make the bechamel sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The sauce will get thick when it chills in the fridge but you can zap it in the microwave to warm it up and make it more pourable.
Just about any type of cheese will work in this recipe. Some other suggestions are Monterey Jack, Muenster, Provolone, Gouda, and Cheddar.
If you want to use frozen broccoli, thaw the broccoli and press it between paper towels to squeeze out the extra liquid.

Shortcuts:

Skip the homemade Bechamel sauce and use a jar of Alfredo sauce from the store.
Use fresh lasagna noodles or oven-ready lasagna noodles instead of the kind you have to boil. Oven-ready noodles will have a better texture if you soak them in water, but this is an optional step.
Use a package of pre-shredded cheese.
Shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

Recommended Products

Cuisinart 12-Inch Deep Fry Pan w/Cover

Norpro Nylon Nonstick 13-Inch Slotted Spatula

Ceramic Baking Pan Lasagna Pans - 13 x 9 Inches

Nutrition