This white sauce Chicken Lasagna is so satisfying with layers of lasagna noodles and tender chicken in a creamy spinach sauce. Just like our Classic Lasagna, this white lasagna reheats really well, making it perfect for meal planning. Make it and you will get recipe requests.
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Chicken Lasagna Recipe Video Tutorial:
Learn how to make the best cheesy, saucy Chicken Lasagna! You can cook fresh chicken for this casserole but it’s also a great way to use up leftover chicken (or even leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!).
P.S. If you love creative leftover chicken recipes, don’t miss our juicy Chicken Patties, the easiest Chicken Noodle Soup, and of course Chicken Fried Rice.
Ingredients for White Sauce Chicken Lasagna:
There are 4 main components to a creamy white chicken lasagna: lasagna noodles, a simple bechamel spinach sauce, and a ricotta cheese sauce. Don’t forget the chicken! You can cook your own Instant Pot Chicken or use a store-bought Rotisserie Chicken.
Pro Tip: We always cook an extra couple of noodles in case any of our lasagna noodles break while cooking.
Can I Use Canned Chicken?
We love canned chicken recipes like our easy Chicken Melts and Buffalo Chicken Dip since we always have it on hand in our pantry. Using canned chicken will work for chicken lasagna, just be sure it is well-drained.
How to Assemble Creamy Chicken Lasagna:
The process of assembling a chicken lasagna is simple. We found it’s easiest to spread the thicker ricotta sauce over the noodles and ladling the spinach sauce ensures the chicken layer is moist and juicy. For best results, follow this order.
- Spread 1/2 cup spinach sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 casserole
- Add 3 noodles, 1/2 ricotta sauce, 1/2 shredded chicken, 1/3 of spinach sauce
- Add 3 noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese, 1/2 shredded chicken, and 1/3 spinach sauce
- Remaining 3 noodles, remaining 1/3 sauce, and sprinkle on reserved 1 cup cheese.
Tips for Reheating Chicken Lasagna:
This white sauce lasagna reheats really well and leftovers are just as enjoyable as freshly baked lasagna. Here are some tips for reheating so the lasagna doesn’t dry out.
- Add Water – Since noodles will naturally soak up some liquid in the lasagna as it sits, it helps to sprinkle on a little bit of water before reheating in the oven or the microwave.
- Visual Cues – Heat until the edges bubble and the cheese is fully melted on top.
- 165˚ F Center – You should reach a safe internal temperature of 165˚F on an instant-read thermometer.
How Long Can Leftover Lasagna be Stored?
Chicken lasagna will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator if you were using freshly cooked chicken. You can also wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months.
This lasagna is a meal in itself. All you need is a simple salad to go with it like our Classic Caesar Salad or fresh Beet Salad with Arugula.
Our Best Lasagna Recipes:
If you love lasagna as much as we do, these recipes are a must try and you’re sure to find some new favorites:
- Italian Lasagna – with a rich, beefy tomato sauce
- Lasagna Roll-Ups – so easy to serve these lasagna rolls
- Slow Cooker Lasagna – a make-ahead recipe
- Homemade Marinara – our favorite sauce for lasagna
Chicken Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Lasagna Ingredients:
- 9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
- 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, or cooked from 2 lbs chicken breast
Spinach Cream Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups half and half, (or equal parts of heavy cream and milk)
- 5 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Ricotta Cheese Sauce:
- 15 oz ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, 12 oz by weight, divided (reserve 1 cup for topping)
Instructions
Cook Noodles & Prep:
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente according to package instructions then drain hot water and add cold water to the pot to stop the cooking process and prevent noodles from sticking together. Shred 4 cups of chicken.
Make the Belachamel (Spinach Sauce):
- Place a pot or large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute onions for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add 4 Tbsp butter and whisk in 1/3 cup flour. Continue whisking 3 minutes or until flour mixture is golden.
- Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups half and half, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Whisk until smooth and simmer 5 minutes until thickened to a light gravy consistency.
- Add minced garlic and chopped spinach, and stir to combine then remove from heat.
Make the Ricotta Cheese Sauce:
- In a large bowl, whisk together: ricotta, egg, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan, and 1/4 cup parsley.
To Assemble Chicken Lasagna:
- Add a little bechamel sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, add 3 noodles, Add 1/2 ricotta sauce, 1/2 shredded chicken then ladle 1/3 of spinach sauce over the chicken.
- Add 3 noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese, 1/2 shredded chicken, and 1/3 spinach sauce
- Add 3 noodles, remaining 1/3 sauce, and sprinkle on reserved 1 cup cheese.
- Cover and Bake: Arrange 10-12 toothpicks over the top to keep the foil from touching the cheese then cover with a large sheet of foil. Bake on the center rack in a preheated oven at 375˚F for 45 minutes then uncover and broil 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese. Rest at least 10 minutes uncovered before slicing.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I’ve made this a few times and it never disappoints! Question, can I make this ahead of time, hold off on baking, refrigerate over night, then bake the next evening? Or do you recommend I bake after I prep and just reheat? Making for a friend.
Hi Melissa! That should be fine. It also reheats well. If you’re baking it directly from the refrigerator, you may need to add some additional time since it will be cold.
Absolutely delicious. Only tweak was I added about a cup of shredded gruyere to the sauce, and I used shredded provolone as the topper.
I am going to tweak it a bit to use w/ leftover turnip greens and Turkey from Thanksgiving
That sounds delicious. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
It was very good! Hoped it would have a bit more of that Alfredo taste!
Delicious! I made this according to the recipe only I used no cook lasagna noodles. It turned out great. We will make this again for sure!
Hi Jill, great to hear that you enjoyed our Chicken Lasagna Recipe!
This was, by far, the best chicken lasagna I’ve ever made. Ever. Oh. My. Goodness. Rich, velvety, garlicky, heaven. Thank you! I will never make a different chicken lasagna again. This is my new go-to. Amazing.
That’s wonderful, Emily. So glad you found a new go-to!
Can I use oven ready lasagna for your Chicken Lasagna Recipe? Thanks!
Hi Dyane. I have not tested them but some of my readers have with good results.
I have to tell you, I made this a few nights ago, following the recipe as written – – it was fantastic! My wife loves this lasagna. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
You’re so welcome, Russell. Thanks for following the recipe as written, glad that you both loved it!
This lasagna tastes amazing! Like any lasagna, it takes a bit of time to prep and assemble, but it’s well worth the effort. It’s one of my favorite lasagna recipes! Thanks, Natasha!
So glad that you tried this recipe. It is indeed so worth it and good to know that you loved it so much!
Hi I have made this a couple of times and everyone loves it! But a few weeks ago I wade one to freeze. I baked it an then wrapped in foil and freeze. After about 2 weeks I took it out thawed it and then reheated in the oven. It made a lot of water? Looked like it came from the Ricotta cheese sauce. What did I do wrong?
Hi Lida, If your lasagna seems watery, you may want to let it bake uncovered for a bit longer. You could also drain off the excess water (or soak it up in the corner with a papertowel) and return to the oven Also, any lasagna will be a little loose as it comes out of the oven and needs to be rested before you slice into it or it will slide apart.
I used no boil brailla and it turned out excellent.
Second time used same recipe
But added leaks, old bay and s seafood layer , was excellent both ways
Thank you
That’s great to hear, Vinnie! Thanks for sharing that with us.
I made this last night and it was a huge hit with my family! 🙂 had to make a few tweaks because I was missing some things but it all came together in the end. Thank you so much for sharing, will definitely be making again soon
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Laureen!
I made this last night, finally, and my husband said it is the best thing he’s ever had. I love regular lasagna but he can’t eat it with his heartburn so I made this for us and it was amazing. Perfect combination of all the flavors. This will definitely go in the rotation when I make regular lasagna for the fam, I will also be making this. 10 stars 😍
I’m so happy this was a hit for you both, Krystal! It sounds like you found a new favorite lasagna recipe!
would you consider adding nutmeg to your Bechamel sauce? Usually I see nutmeg, it just make sense with a white sauce?
Hi Deborah, nutmeg will work in this recipe, but we prefer it without. Here’s what one of me readers commented, I hope it give you an idea: “I made this today for NYE dinner and was tempted to change it up a bit: add nutmeg to béchamel, omit chicken and add mushrooms. Instead I followed instructions exactly and I’m so glad I did. It’s perfect! Just delicious”
So delicious! So much so, that I want to make if for our Lake Powell trip! Do you have a recommendation on how to re-heat it in the oven from frozen? (how long and at what temp?)
Thank you!! 🙂
Hi Danika, I would recommend thawing the cooked frozen lasagna before reheating. If you wanted to reheat a frozen lasagna, I would cover it with foil and bake at 350˚F for about 30 minutes or until fully heated through (165˚F), cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling at the edges.
I made this for our Sunday Card day. Made it ahead on Saturday, baked it, and refrigerated it covered in foil. (yes, I sprayed the foil). Put it in a preheated oven at 190C for about 40 minutes. Everyone absolutely loved the end result. Couldn’t stop eating it!
Yay! Happy to hear that it was a huge success.
This was delicious! We used. Rotisserie chicken from Costco and my husband loved it! We will definitely make this again.
So glad that you enjoyed our Chicken Lasagna Recipe!
If I wanted to make this ahead as a freezer meal to make for easy dinner, how would I freeze these? Like do I bake it and then freeze it? Or can I assemble and then freeze it while it’s not cooked?
Chicken lasagna will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator if you were using freshly cooked chicken. You can also wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months and take it out and reheat it. See my tips for reheating lasagna in the blog post above.
If I could give this 10 stars I would! This is a homerun dish for me ! It has been approved by my whole entire household. Can we say mmmm mmmmm GOOD!
Wow, thank you so much for the 10 stars! We appreciate your love and good review.
I made this for my daughter’s birthday celebration. She and our whole family loved the dish. It was delicious! Thank you!
That’s wonderful! Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Great recipe, I have made this before but added Bacon with the chicken this time !
Love your videos, keep up the amazing work ! ❤️
That sounds amazing, Mark! Thank you, I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes here.