Chicken Lasagna Roll-Ups

For years I’ve had this recipe for Chicken Lasagna that was so good I preferred it over classic lasagna. I would always make it for Christmas dinner; it was one of our holiday traditions. But, after the kids left the nest, it became impractical to make. The recipe made a “huge” pan of lasagna and called for a lot of cheese. The good news is it freezes well; the bad news is, now that there are only the two of us, even after freezing the leftovers, more than half of it would freezer burn before we even got to it. Over the weekend, I put my thinking cap on and tried to devise a way that I could still prepare this dish in a smaller way. Then, “brainstorm,” I figured it out:  lasagna roll-ups. Not only does this cut the ingredients down to one third, making it more economical, but it doesn’t sacrifice on taste, and preparation is a breeze. Cooked lasagna noodles are spread with a perfectly seasoned blend of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, layered with seasoned, shredded, cooked chicken, rolled up, then topped off with a simple homemade white sauce which includes mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and baked until bubbly and golden brown. This is a unique and delicious variation of traditional lasagna, simple enough to serve any night of the week.

Missing from photo: 1 large egg, ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In 9x9-inch baking pan, add chicken. Season generously with garlic powder, onion powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, salt, black pepper and parsley. Add a couple inches of water of pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165° F., 40 to 50 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Set aside to cool. (Note: you can always cook up the chicken the night before to save time.)

Chop onion. Mince garlic. Chop parsley. 

In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. 

Stir in flour and salt until blended. Cook until bubbly. 

Gradually stir in broth and milk. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Continue cooking, while stirring, for 1 minute, or until thickened. 

Stir in 2 cups mozzarella, 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh chopped basil, dried oregano and pepper. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted. Keep sauce warm.

Shred chicken. If you haven’t read my past posts, the easiest way to shred chicken breasts is to place them in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed until it starts to break up, then increase speed until chicken is evenly shredded. 

Add about 3/4 cup of cheese sauce to the shredded chicken. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions to “al dente” stage (as pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain noodles. Lay noodles out on paper towels. Pat tops dry with additional paper towels.

In a large bowl, beat egg. 

Add the ricotta cheese, chopped parsley, remaining mozzarella and nutmeg. Stir well to combine. Set aside.

Prepare a 15x10x2-inch baking pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Spread about 1 cup of sauce over bottom of pan.

Dividing evenly amongst the 10 lasagna noodles, spread cheese mixture over noodles to about 1/2 inch from edges. 

Evenly sprinkle chicken over cheese.

Roll up each noodle, starting at one of the short ends. Place in prepared baking dish, seam side down. 

Pour remaining sauce over roll-ups. (It will look like too much sauce, but remember, it's a cheese sauce and if you don't use enough, it will stick to the pan and leave a burnt on mess to clean up later.) Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly and tops of roll-ups start to brown. 

CHICKEN LASAGNA ROLL UPS
Posted by:  www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 9 to 10 lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Sauce:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth, or stock
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups (8-ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Chicken:

• 2 skinless, bones chicken breasts, cooked
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Onion powder, to taste
• Dried rosemary, to taste
• Dried thyme, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Parsley, to taste
• 3/4 cup of prepared sauce (from recipe above)

Cheese Filling:

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 cups (15 to 16 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups (8-ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably fresh ground), or more to taste

DIRECTIONS:
 
1.   Preheat oven to 350° F.
2.   In 9x9-inch baking pan, add chicken. Season generously with garlic powder, onion powder, dried
      rosemary, dried thyme, salt, black pepper and parsley. Add a couple inches of water of pan. Cover
      with aluminum foil. Bake until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165° F., 40 to 50 minutes.
      Remove chicken to platter. Set aside to cool. (Note: you can always cook up the chicken the night
      before to save time.)
3.   In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in
      flour and salt until blended. Cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Stirring constantly,
      bring to a boil. Continue cooking, while stirring, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Stir in 2 cups
      mozzarella, 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh chopped basil, dried oregano and pepper. Reduce heat
      to simmer, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted. Keep sauce warm.
4.   Shred chicken. Add about 3/4 cup of cheese sauce to the shredded chicken. Stir to combine.
5.   Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions to “al-dente” stage (as pasta will continue to
      cook in oven). Drain noodles. Lay noodles out on paper towels. Pat tops dry with additional paper
      towels.
6.   In a large bowl, beat egg. Add the ricotta cheese, chopped parsley, remaining mozzarella and
      nutmeg. Stir well to combine. Set aside.
7.   Prepare a 15x10x2-inch baking pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Spread about 1 cup of
      sauce over bottom of pan.
8.   Dividing evenly amongst the 10 lasagna noodles, spread cheese mixture over noodles to about ½
      inch from edges. Evenly sprinkle chicken over cheese.
9.   Roll up each noodle, starting at one of the short ends. Place in prepared baking dish. Pour remaining
      sauce over roll-ups. Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
10. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes, or until tops of roll-ups start to brown.