If you hate washing more than one pan when you cook dinner, this white skillet chicken lasagna is a delicious one-pan solution to your problem!
Raise your hand if, on any given weeknight, the thought of having to wash more than one pan makes you want to crumple into a ball on the kitchen floor and have someone hand you the phone so you can call for pizza delivery. Me? No no, I never have those nights.
Just kidding. I have those nights weekly. Sometimes more than once. Sometimes I even text Philip and have him bring the dinner to me. It happens, and it’s okay.
Most of us are trying to eat better, trying to stay in a budget, trying to cook more. And it’s hard. Skillet meals make it a little bit easier. Because one pan to wash. Who can argue with that?
I first discovered that you didn’t have to boil pasta on its own before adding to to a dish quite a while back, and I shared that knowledge in this sad, poorly photographed post that I still refer to when I can’t remember the proportions of milk to pasta. The point is, you can cook your pasta right in the milk and the starch from the pasta will thicken the milk to a sauce so glorious that you’ll wonder why anyone ever did it any other way. Because one pan to wash. And sauce. Glorious sauce.
White skillet chicken lasagna starts with a base of sautéed chicken thighs, which add lots of flavor because of the fond that builds in the pan. Mushrooms go in next, then the pasta – just broken lasagna noodles, which gets cooked in milk and, if you’re me, just a little (as in a cup) heavy cream. At the end, a little spinach gets stirred in, and then the whole thing gets topped with ricotta and mozzarella before it goes for a ride under the broiler.
Then, you serve up white skillet chicken lasagna and get just a little excited because there’s only one pan to wash. Oh, and it’s delicious.
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate.
Mary
Yield: 6 servings
10 minPrep Time:
25 minCook Time:
35 minTotal Time:
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cubed
- salt
- 4 ounces (1 cup) cremini or white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream (or just use a third cup of milk)
- 8 lasagna noodles, broken into 1-2 inch pieces
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
Instructions
- Place the chicken cubes on a plate and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Flip the pieces over and sprinkle the other side with another 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden, 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they just begin to soften, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the butter to the pan and stir until melted. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Gradually add the milk and the cream and another teaspoon of salt, stirring constantly. Add the noodles to the pan and stir so that as much of the liquid covers the noodles as possible. Cook, stirring frequently to keep the noodles submerged and keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the noodles are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the spinach. Cover the pan for 2 minutes, then remove the lid and stir the spinach into the pasta. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the broiler with a rack 8 inches from the broiler. Dollop the ricotta in spoonfuls over the top of the lasagna then arrange the cheese slices over the lasagna. Broil until lightly browned. Serve immediately.
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