Chicken Parmesan Lasagna Bake

I posted this photo on my Instagram yesterday and got a lot of requests to post the recipe, so here it is! :) It is definitely one you want to keep in your repertoire, it's fairly quick and oh so yummy. My boyfriend is lucky (most of the time) enough to be my taste tester, and this was one of his favorite meals. I haven't fed him anything that has killed him yet, but there has been some so/so recipes I have tried. This is not one of them. This one is amazing. So go make it, like now. 

Ingredients:

For the lasagna:

• 10 no bake lasagna noodles, broken into pieces 
• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (2 chicken breasts or 3/4 of a rotisserie chicken) 
• 10 oz frozen peas 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 
• 1/2 cup Swiss cheese (I used 2 slices) 
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup seasoned panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• Fresh basil for topping

For the sauce:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons flour 
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• 5 cups milk 

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°.  

To make the sauce: melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted add garlic, cook for 1 minute, careful not to burn. Add flour, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes to make sure you don't have a raw flour taste in your sauce. Add the milk, one cup at a time, allowing the sauce to slightly thicken with each addition. This should take about 20 minutes total for the 5 cups. Set aside.

To assemble the lasagna: Grease a 9x13 pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with half of the broken lasagna noodles, half of the sauce, half of the chicken, half of the peas, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup Swiss (1 slice cut into small pieces) and 1/3 cup water. Repeat the layer once more: half of the broken lasagna noodles, half of the sauce, half of the chicken, half of the peas, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup Swiss (1 slice cut into small pieces) and 1/3 cup water. Cover  tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. 

For the topping: mix together the breadcrumbs and olive oil. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note: I had to put a sheet pan under the 9x13 pan to catch over flow from the water/sauce. Do not omit the water, it is important to use it to help the noodles cook. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE