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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Could you add mushrooms to their recipe? And if you did at what point would you add it?
Hi Natalie! I haven’t done that myself but yes, I assume it would be just fine to do so. Likely around step 3.
Natasha, I just made this tonight and it was Awesome! We had our son and daughter in law over and they cleaned their plates! They even said if we had leftovers they would Love some… That sums it up right there! My husband wanted to make sure we left some for him too, there was plenty left and full tummies all around. I modified it slightly bu adding a little more onions and cooked them longer and more spinach. I also added ripper flakes and red bell peppers. I sautéed the onions and bell peppers longer than indicated. It was absolutely delicious! Thank You for a Wonderful Meal!
Hello Allison, thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. I appreciate it and thanks for sharing your experience!
I made this last night for my diet restricted parents. I used lactose free mozzarella, lactose free cottage cheese (couldn’t fine ricotta) and lactose free half and half. Very little lactose in parmesan cheese so little it doesn’t affect those who are alergic. It was absolutely spectacular!
I’m home on snow day and have everything to make this except ricotta. What do you think of subbing cottage cheese? Would it be lumpy?
Hi Ann Marie. We really like the combination of both ricotta and cottage cheese. But you can make It with just cottage cheese if that’s all you have. It won’t be as creamy but it’s still really good.
Second time making this-so good!! I did use a bit more pepper second time.
Do yourself a big favor and pre-measure all of the ingredients for spinach sauce.
I did use rotisserie chicken-both breast from Costco Chicken is perfect 😊
Thanks for your comments and feedback, Patty! Great to hear that you love this recipe!
I assembled this for dinner tonight, the second time!!!
It’s very, very good. The second time I did add a bit more pepper.
Do yourself a big favor and pre measure and have at the ready all of the ingredients for the spinach sauce!!!
This recipe sounds delicious! I would like to make with fresh chicken on Thursday, bake and serve on Saturday evening. I like Wegmans fresh refrigerated lasagna noodles. Do you think the sauce wil hold up in refrigerator that length of time?
Thank you.
Hi Betty! This chicken lasagna will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator if you were using freshly cooked chicken. See my note above for reheating instructions and tips.
It also freezes well.
Hi Natasha!
Can I use dried parsley in place of fresh? I would of course decrease the amount. Thank you!
Hi Sue! That would be fine.
Hi! I’ve made this twice before and was AMAZING!! Would I be able to make this the day before serving?
Yes, this reheats great. You can also
assemble it, refrigerate and bake it fresh the next day. It also freezes well before or after baking. You can bake it from a frozen state.
Very good. I was worried about the béchamel sauce being too salty (it was very salty on its own). I warned my husband that the dinner was going to be salty. He took the first bite and said, “It’s not too salty.” And sure enough, it was perfect when all the ingredients came together. I didn’t do the top layer of noodles, so my layering was a bit different. But everything was perfect. I used non-stick foil to cover and it was fine; didn’t need to fuss with toothpicks.
Thanks a lot for sharing! Great to hear that you and your husband enjoyed this recipe!
I have made this recipe numerous of times and it has been a hit every time. Everyone always asks for me to make it again and again.
I’m so glad to hear that, Lisa!
Can you make the chicken lasagna ahead of time then put it in the freezer before baking?
Hi Alice! I think that would work. I have only tested it frozen after it’s been baked the first time. I would not thaw it before baking. I would bake straight from frozen and add some additional time.
This is a HUGE hit in our house. My husband suggested adding it to our ‘heavy rotation.’ I don’t like as many noodles as the recipe calls for, so I used six of the oven-ready lasagna sheets you can buy at any grocery store instead. This means I have to shuffle the order of layers a little bit, but everything else I keep as is. It’s delicious!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Christine!
Would love to try this!!
Can i use red onions as thats the only one available here. If not, then white onion powder. Which would be better?
Also can i add dried parsley instead of the fresh in the cheese?
Thanks in advance
Hi Ayesha, I haven’t tried this with red onion or onion powder to advise, but that option may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I added sliced mushrooms and it was still divine. It was so creamy and savory. My husband reports “It’s lick the plate good.” That’s his top complement. I agree.
That’s great to hear, Laura! Thank you for the feedback!
This recipe turned out super delicious! I made some of my own tweaks based on what I had and how we eat. Cut the recipe in 1/2 & used an 8×8. I used Palmini lasagna sheets, coconut milk instead of cream & a power green mix (rather than just spinach) & added some leftover broccoli chopped up!
Sounds good, I’m glad you enjoyed the results!
Very, very good. I used gluten free lasagna sheets which are not cooked prior to layering. The sauce seeped into them and they were just the right texture. Thank you!
Nice to know that you were able to use gluten free lasagna and it worked well! Thanks for this review and for sharing.
Can you make this and freeze it before baking? Then would you thaw it and bake it or bake from frozen?
Hi Mary! I think that would work. I have only tested it frozen after it’s been baked the first time. I would not thaw it before baking. I would bake straight from frozen and add some additional time.
Hi I was wondering can I use no boil noodles for this recipe?
Hi Dwayne, I haven’t tried that, but my readers have and they mentioned it worked well, here’s what one reader said: ” I used no boil lasagna noodles and it was good. This will become one of our favorites.” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, can I assemble this lasagne ahead of time and cook it on the day?
This reheats great, see my note above “Tips for Reheating Chicken Lasagna.”
Also- you can assemble this the day before and bake it fresh but it will require some additional time to bake since it will be cold. I hope you love the recipe!