A delicious, cozy recipe for Rosemary Chicken Lasagna with mushrooms and spinach in a creamy Béchamel Sauce. A hearty meal perfect for special gatherings or Sunday supper. Vegetarian-adaptable. Video!
Walk around feeling like a leaf. Know you could tumble any second. Then decide what to do with your time.
Naomi Shihab Nye
I love Sundays…cozy, relaxing, and practically begging for comfort food. Here is one of my favorite recipes on cold chilly days like these-perfect for curling up on the couch with a good book or movie – Chicken lasagna! A staple in our catering business, this lasagna recipe was one of the most popular recipes during the colder months.
Instead of a traditional red sauce, this version is made with a creamy béchamel sauce infused with a hint of nutmeg. Layered with tender chicken breast, wilted spinach and savory mushrooms, it can easily be made vegetarian by adding more mushrooms and leaving out the chicken.
Why You’ll Love Chicken Lasagna!
- Delicious Flavor: This creamy rosemary Chicken Lasagna is bursting with delicious flavors. The combination of tender chicken breast, earthy mushrooms, wilted spinach, and aromatic rosemary creates a rich and savory taste that will leave your taste buds craving more. The creamy béchamel sauce with a hint of nutmeg elevates the dish.
- Versatile: This recipe is versatile and can be easily adapted to suit various dietary preferences. If you’re a vegetarian, you can simply omit the chicken and increase the amount of mushrooms for a flavorful vegetarian adaptation. You can also use plant-based milk, vegan ricotta and vegan cheese to make it dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
- Perfect Comfort Food: Chicken Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, especially on cold, chilly days. The layers of lasagna noodles, chicken, mushrooms, and creamy sauce provide a hearty and satisfying meal perfect for special gatherings. It’s the kind of dish that warms you from the inside out!
Chicken Lasagna Ingredients
- Chicken breast: Boneless and skinless chicken breast adds savory protein to the lasagna. This can be left out to create a vegetarian version- just double or triple the mushrooms. A quick hack here is to use leftover rotisserie chicken!
- Mushrooms add an earthy, meaty, umami flavor to the lasagna. Play with different varieties ( wild or tame) mushrooms; button, cremini, portobello mushrooms, shitake, oyster, morels, or chanterelles!
- Onion and Garlic: add a sweet, pungent, savory flavor to the lasagna, giving depth
- Rosemary: the signature herb here, imparting a delightful aroma. Feel free to sub-fresh sage or thyme.
- Spinach: We love adding nutrient-rich leafy greens to the lasagna. Feel free to use other wilting greens.
- Milk: To create the bechamel sauce, we use milk (not cream) to keep it on the lighter side- but keep in mind, plant-based milks like soy milk or almond milk work great too!
- Cheeses: Mozzarella adds the melty element we all love in lasagna while parmesan cheese or pecorino romano adds the flavor! Ricotta cheese is used between the layers for a luscious creaminess. Feel free to use vegan cheeses- like our vegan ricotta.
- Spices: nutmeg adds a subtle hint of exotic sweetness and complexity to the lasagna and white pepper– a milder alternative to black pepper, provides a unique flavor. Feel free to use black pepper!
- Lasagna noodles: If you can track down fresh lasagna noodles, use these for the best texture. Par-boil dry lasagna noodles if using. For a fun, light twist, we’ve even made this with eggroll wrappers! (see notes)
- Lemon zest: adds an unexpected brightness to the dish, enhancing the overall taste experience.
Chicken Lasagna Instructions
There are three components to Chicken lasagna- the savory chicken filling, the ricotta mixture and the creamy white sauce, called Bechamel Sauce. All or any of these can be made ahead! You can make the chicken lasagna in stages, cutting down the workload on the day of your gathering.
Step one: Make the filling. In an extra large skillet saute chicken breast, mushrooms, onion and garlic with rosemary and chopped spinach. You could easily use leftover rotisserie chicken.
The filling is very adaptable as you will see from the recipe. I personally like adding mushrooms and spinach to the chicken. You could leave these out. Or, you could just as easily leave out the chicken and make this completely vegetarian by adding more mushrooms ( or other veggies) and spinach.
Step two: Make the Béchamel Sauce. In a medium pot, melt unsalted butter (or use olive oil) over med-low heat. Add all-purpose flour and stir for 2-3 minutes on med heat until flour is golden. Whisk in milk one cup at a time. Add rosemary and bring to a gentle simmer, do not leave it unattended, stirring constantly until thickened. Add salt, nutmeg and white pepper. Stir until incorporated, set aside.
Step 3: Make the ricotta mixture. Whisk ricotta cheese with an egg, lemon zest, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
Step four: Assemble the Lasagna! Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread enough bechamel sauce to coat the bottom. Add the first layer of lasagna noodles, then top with half of the ricotta cheese mixture.
Add half of the chicken/mushroom/spinach filling. Top with mozzarella cheese, pecorino cheese and drizzle with bechamel sauce.
Repeat this one more time. Add noodles, remaining ricotta, remaining filling, mozzarella cheese, pecorino cheese, and a little bechamel sauce.
Top with the third and final layer of lasagna noodles. Pour the remaining bechamel sauce over the top. Add the remaining mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Sprinkle with a little more rosemary and place a layer of parchment paper over the lasagna, then cover tightly with foil, keeping the foil from touching the lasagna.
You can assemble it up to this point and refrigerate for 3 days, then bake (letting it come to room temp before baking) on the day of serving.
Step 4: Bake the Lasagna. Place in a 400 F oven, covered with parchment and foil, until heated through and bubbling, 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and let bake uncovered until beautiful and golden, about 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
We love serving hearty main dishes like this creamy Chicken Lasagna with lighter, leafy green salads. Here are some that would pair well!
- Caesar Salad
- Pear Salad with Vanilla Fig Dressing
- Kale Salad
- Lemony Kale Slaw (Vegan)
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Garlic Bread
Storing Chicken Lasagna
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or can be put in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Chicken Lasagna FAQS
- Can I make chicken lasagna ahead of time? Yes, you can make chicken lasagna ahead of time. You can prepare the filling, béchamel sauce, and ricotta mixture in advance and assemble the lasagna when you’re ready to bake it. You can also assemble the entire lasagna and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before baking.
- Can I freeze chicken lasagna? Yes, you can freeze chicken lasagna, either baked or unbaked. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or transfer it to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking it according to the recipe instructions.
- Can I use a different type of cheese in chicken lasagna? Absolutely! While mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta are commonly used in chicken lasagna, you can experiment with other types of cheese as well. Some options include cheddar, provolone, fontina, or even a blend of cheeses. Feel free to get creative and use your favorite cheeses.
- Can I make chicken lasagna vegetarian? Yes, you can easily adapt the chicken lasagna recipe to make it vegetarian. Simply omit the chicken and double or triple mushrooms or add other vegetables! To make this vegan, use vegan cheese and plant-based milk! Our vegan ricotta is good too!
- Can I substitute the lasagna noodles with something else? Yes, you can get creative with the noodles in chicken lasagna. If you’re looking for a lighter twist, you can use egg roll wrappers instead of traditional lasagna noodles. Or get gluten-free lasagna noodles.
More Lasagna recipes you may like!
Rosemary Chicken Lasagna Video
Chicken Lasagna Recipe
- Prep Time: 55 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: dinner, lasagna, chicken
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: italian
Description
A delicious recipe for creamy Chicken Lasagna with mushrooms, spinach and rosemary layered with a creamy bechamel sauce. Vegetarian-adaptable. See notes for making ahead.
Ingredients
Lasagna Filling:
- 1 1/4 lb chicken breast, cut into small bite-sized, 1/2-inch pieces ( see recipe notes for vegetarian) or use leftover rotisserie chicken.
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste
- 12 oz sliced mushrooms (optional- or replace with more chicken)
- 1 onion- diced
- 6 cloves garlic -chopped
- 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary- chopped ( or 2 teaspoons dried, or sub thyme or sage)
- 2–3 cups packed, chopped fresh spinach
Bechamel Sauce Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 3 cups whole milk (or use a plant-based milk)
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp white pepper or sub black pepper
Lasagna ingredients:
- Fresh lasagna noodles, 9 x par-boiled lasagna noodles (or try egg roll wrappers for an extra light version!)
- 12 oz fresh or grated mozzarella cheese
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup Parmesan, or Pecorino cheese grated
- Truffle oil– optional but amazing!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- If using dry pasta start your salted water to a boil, and par-cook the lasagna noodles to aldente.
- Make the Filling: (see notes for vegetarian) Cut chicken into 1/2 inch, bite-size pieces and season with 1 teaspoon salt and cracked pepper to taste. Saute in a skillet, on medium heat, with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until golden brown, and cooked through. Place chicken in a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the pan and add a little more oil. Add mushrooms and onion and saute until tender, on med heat, about 7 min. Add garlic and rosemary, and saute 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and lower heat to med-low, and saute until mushrooms release their liquid. Add chopped spinach, stir until wilted and add this to the chicken. Set aside.
- Make Bechamel Sauce: In a medium saucepan melt butter on medium-low heat. Add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes on med heat until flour is golden. Whisk in milk one cup at a time. Add rosemary and stir constantly ( do not walk away) until it just comes to a simmer- this will thicken it. Add salt, nutmeg and white pepper. Stir until incorporated, set aside.
- Make the ricotta mixture. Whisk ricotta cheese with an egg, lemon zest, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Assemble the Lasagna. Butter or grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour ¾ cup bechamel sauce in the bottom and spread out. Place one layer of lasagna noodles. Cover with half of the ricotta mixture, spreading it evenly. Top with half of the chicken/mushroom filling, sprinkle with one-third of the parmesan cheese, and one-third of the fresh mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with 1 cup of bechamel sauce, Repeat, adding another single layer of lasagna noodles, lightly pressing down. Spread out the remainder of the ricotta cheese mixture, top with the remainder of the chicken mushroom filling, another third of the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and drizzle with another cup of bechamel. (Optional: at this point, you could drizzle with a little truffle oil -it’s delicious). Top with the last layer of lasagna noodles and pour the remainder of the bechamel sauce, spreading evenly. Add the last of the cheeses, and sprinkle with a little rosemary.
- Bake covered tightly with parchment and foil in a 400F oven for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. (Parchment prevents the foil from touching the lasagna which can leach aluminum. )Remove parchment and foil and bake uncovered until the top is golden, about 10-15 more minutes. Let rest from the oven 10-15 minutes before cutting, so it sets up.
- Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the fridge, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Make it ahead: An easy way to tackle this is to make it in stages. Make the filling ahead (and refrigerate for up to 3 days), and make the bechamel sauce ahead- that way, on the day of, you could simply mix the ricotta, boil the noodles, assemble and bake. You can also assemble the whole lasagna up to 3 days ahead. Let it come to room temp before baking.
Vegetarian: You can make this vegetarian by subbing mushrooms for the chicken. You will need 1 ½ -2 pounds total. You could also sub other sautéed veggies into the mix, or more spinach. Saute the mushrooms and onion, and when tender, add the garlic and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Add chopped spinach and wilt.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/9th of a baking dish
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 6.3 g
- Sodium: 936.9 mg
- Fat: 18.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.8 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 40.9 g
- Cholesterol: 101.8 mg
This sounds sooo good. Do you think this would work with the tofu ricotta, to make it dairy-free?
Absolutely, but you would have to make the béchamel vegan as well- which is totally doable using olive oil and soy or nut milk. Leave out the mozzarella or use vegan cheese!
Just divine!
The eggroll wrappers as the “pasta” layers is genius!! My family loved this recipe. I added some lemon juice to the chicken and fresh parsley to the ricotta. Thanks a bunch!
thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Sylvia!
How do you suggest I make the bechamel gluten free? Any tips? Thanks!!!
Feel fre to use a gluten-free flour or blend!
Excellent! I used a rosemary garlic rotisserie chicken. Added mushrooms and shallot sautéed in an herb oil that I made. The herb oil was olive oil blended with fresh rosemary, thyme, sage and garlic. I, also, used fresh lasagna sheets. I left the spinach out since mushrooms and spinach are iffy for the grandkids. I chose the mushrooms since I really wanted to use the herb oil. Definitely a keeper! The littles and the adults loved it. I’ll definitely make it again. ??
Yummy, enough to enjoy for lunch during the week. I made it with the non boil lasagne noodles, but probably would taste better with fresh.
Thanks Theresa, appreciate your comment and perhaps try it with wonton noodles, for a light version!?
I am coveting that pan! where might one find something that special???? I know my lasagna would taste better baked in one!
I made this last night using chicken, mushrooms and spinach. I also used thin pasta sheets. So delicious and the presentation was beautiful! Perfect for a winter evening!
Thanks Nancy! So glad you liked it and happy holidays!
I’ve never used egg roll wrappers and would like to make sure, it’s a double layer each time or just the bottom one?
I doubled just on the bottom. They are way thinner than pasta, resulting in a lighter dish. If you want a heartier version, just use regular lasagna or double them up on all the layers.
Fixed this tonight, and it is amazing – our guests raved about it! I mistakenly bought boneless skinless chicken thighs, but it worked. We are thrilled that there are leftovers. I wish I could post a photo – it turned out picture-perfect and oh, so, good.
Yay, thanks glad you liked!
I’m so happy to find this recipe! I was looking for a different dish to fix, and I love rosemary. I’m serving it with a salad of red and golden beets with fennel and blood oranges – a perfect “lighter” meal for winter. i’m using regular boil-the-pasta lasagna but will try the egg roll wrappers next time.
AND, as long as you have rosemary, it’s easy to make little appetizers by using the sprigs as picks, and thread thin slices of salami with grape tomatoes, kalamata olives and tiny balls of mozzarella cheese.
And as long as you have rosemary, toss a healthy sprig into an opened bottle of Pinot Gris, cork it, and refrigerate for a couple of hours so it infuses into the wine.
Did I mention that I love rosemary? LOL!
Thank you so much for this recipe, I’ll post again to let you know what our guests thought of it.
I’m making this for the first time to serve to my book club. Am I brave or silly. After reading all comments I think I will use no boil pasta. I would like to add the truffle oil, do I just substitute truffle oil for the 1-2 T oil (olive oil or vegetable oil?) used to statue the chicken in or is this in addition. If not, How much truffle oil and when do I add it?
You’re not silly …you will love it. Just drizzle a little truffle oil over the chicken or mushrooms when layering. Don’t use it for sautéing 😉 no boil pasta is a good option!
Hello! Can this recipe be assembled the night before and then cooked the next day?
Thank you!
Absolutely!!
This was very good – wouldn’t change a thing. The egg roll wrappers definitely made it seem lighter but yet very indulgent as well with the cheese and Bechamel. This is now my second recipe I’ve tried of yours and both have been awesome! I look forward to trying many more.
Amy….Thanks so much!!
This is my third time making this lasagna and always get rave reviews. Thank you for sharing!
Yay! great to hear!
Valentine’s Day Hit! Made this over the weekend for my girlfriend and it was so delicious and really pretty easy. It did take a little time but well worth it. This is one of my favorite dishes and something I will make again! Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe.
Oh I’m so glad you both liked it! thanks for sharing!
I made this lasagna last night and it was delicious! Definitely a crowd pleaser. I was a little worried about the won-ton wrappers at first but i am SO glad we tried them! Thank you for the great recipe!
Thanks Niki, glad you enjoyed it!!
I love this recipe! I must ask – that casserole dish is AMAZING, where is it from?!
I made this tonight, and it was delicious, but it was a full two and a half hours from start to sitting down to eat–and that was using rotisserie chicken! I have no idea how you could do this in an hour and a half, so I would say make it on a day when you have no time constraints. It is not a quick recipe at all, but very tasty.
I’m a fast cooker. 😉 I adjusted the cooking time…thanks for the feedback!
Just found this recipe and I was wondering if you could just use commercial alfredo sauce in place of the bechamel sauce?
Absolutely Barbara! I would sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg over the alfredo, if it doesn’t have any in the ingredient list. 🙂
Hi there! I made this for my bf on Sunday, my first time making lasagna, and it was fabulous!! I loved the lemon zest, it really added something special, as did the truffle oil (awesome addition… if you made it without, try again with it!). I couldn’t find egg roll wrappers, so I used the Barilla no boil lasagna pasta sheets, they were good but I will definitely make a trip to my speciality grocery store next time to find them or fresh pasta. I also used the rotisserie chicken I had on hand, white and dark meat, because I thought this would be a good way to use it all up. Can’t wait to make this again for company, using the egg roll wrappers and with the chicken cooked as you instructed. Thank you so much for sharing! Looking forward to searching through the rest of your site and following you on Pinterest!
So glad you enjoyed this…great idea using rotisserie chicken!! I love it. No boil noodles work great too, and I actually prefer them over the egg roll wrappers…egg roll wrappers are for when you are in a pinch and can’t find no boil! 🙂
Hi Jordan, Thanks so much for the great feedback…really appreciate it!
Was looking for something different to make for a Valentine’s dinner party with my sweetie and two other couples. Got rave reviews on the lasagna with requests to make many more times in the future! Truly delicious! Couldn’t find eggroll wrappers so I used no-boil lasagna noodles and I added a little bit of gruyere cheese along with the mozzarella and parmesan.
Thank you! We picked some up from an Italian grocer nearby and it worked perfect! Was such a delicious winter dinner – love how the lemon and rosemary really made it so fresh! If we make another batch to freeze (we had extra noodles), how do you suggest doing do? Would you just bake all the way through and then freeze?
Oh good! Yes, I would cook first, then freeze.
If the noodles are fresh- soft pliable noodles, do not boil.
Question – when you make with fresh noodles, do you boil before hand? We are planning to make for dinner tomorrow and the verdict tends to be out online as to whether to boil or not to boil!