White Lasagne Chicken, Mushroom and Gruyere
White Lasagne is a great dish and now I have made this one I have multiple requests to make MORE. It has pasta in it, and that makes some people in my house very happy. It also has no tomato and for a Lasagne that’s a little unusual. I made it because I was asked for Mac and Cheese with chicken and …..I just thought I could go one better than that.
It is quite simple but I will warn you it is full of delicious cheese. One of my most favourite cheeses is Gruyere and I made this with a 12 month old one, along with Parmesan and a hint of Mozzarella, but any cheese you want to use would be ok. Although not strictly keeping with the white theme I think porcini might be an addition I would love here too. Porcini are the heaven of the mushroom world, to me any way.
I made a really big dish because I took it to a family dinner. This is a great dish to take to someone’s house ( a pot luck dinner) because you can make it up and refrigerate before baking. Take it with you and bake it in someone else’s oven!
This is also a post about some of the things In My Kitchen this April ’16. As always if you would like to see more In My Kitchen Posts visit Maureen www.orgasmicchef.com
Another cheese I love is this one. Can you guess what cheese this is? Are you a fan?.
Brillat Savarin, full fat gorgeously creamy triple cream cheese (actually 75% butter fat). This cheese is deceptively creamy and a real crowd pleaser with it’s fine fluffy rind. It has a semi soft texture that tends to surprise and then delight most people. It is lactic and delicately mushroomy with a gentle sourness and burst of flavour as it ages. It’s like eating the savoury equivalent of a cream cheese icing. Not many are equipped to stop at one bite……including me . This was a 500 gm round. Please drop over if you want some there is too much here!
This Rose Flower Jam was a gift from my Persian friend for Easter. It has a delicate rose flavour and I have used it to make a walnut tart. I spread some on the base of the pastry and then finished the baked tart with a lick of it on the top, thus following my personal mantra that nothing shall enter my house without being made into some kind of bakery item. (It’s coming up soon). My friend tells me that they take all of the petals and steam them, then make them into jam. They also make rosewater at this factory. I am sure you are familiar with Rosewater with it’s delicate exotic scent. It can be like inviting a drunken sailor to a tea party if it is overused. I learned this week that it’s overuse only ever extends to washing things down, like the walls and even the floors where he comes from, so that there is a sweet delicate smell everywhere. I thought this was a great idea for my sons bedroom. I’m going out to buy a case of rosewater.
While it is still unseasonably warm in Australia (scary), we seem to have an abundance of tomatoes. This salad is as easy as it is delicious and one for using up those ripe cherry tomatoes you may have. I tossed a couple of punnets ( pints) of them in olive oil and salt and pepper and a little balsamic before putting in the oven to roast while my Lasagne was resting ( yes a bit like resting meat). Once they had just softened I took them out and tossed them with some baby bocconcini, blanched green beans and rocket. There’s a bit of basil and finely chopped chives in there too. This has a ready made dressing thanks to the tomato juices and balsamic. It’s just the ticket for cutting through that cheese in the Lasagne.
Ingredients | Unit: |
- 500 gm button mushrooms sliced
- 40 ml olive oil 2 tablespoons
- 1 onion diced small approx 1/2 cup
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 125 ml white wine approx 1/2 cup
- 1 kg Chicken cooked chopped or shredded SEE NOTES
- 100 gm butter 6 tablespoons
- 100 gm plain flour 1/2plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 litre chicken stock 4 cups
- 500 ml milk 2 cups
- 5 gm salt and pepper
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 375 gm lasagne sheets 1 packet, fresh
- 100 gm Gruyere Cheese divided into 2
- 100 gm grated parmesan cheese
- 100 gm Mozzarella Cheese. divided into 2
- 250 ml cream 1 cup - thickened or heavy
Instructions
- Set the oven to 180C/ 350 F, you'll need a pot for the sauce and one for boiling the pasta. Use a lasagne dish approximately: 22 cm x 30 cm x 8 cm deep OR 9" x12"x 3" deep and foil for covering.
- Shred the chicken into a medium sized bowl and set aside (or the home cooked chicken)
- Heat a fry pan or pot with high sides and add the olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute on medium without browning till just starting to soften. Add the onion and garlic and continue to gently saute till soft. This will sweeten the onions and soften up the mushrooms, so go slowly. Add a bit of salt and pepper then the white wine. Bring back to a simmer and let the liquid reduce till almost all gone.
- Pour into the bowl with the shredded chicken (or the chopped chicken you have cooked) and set aside.
- Put a pot on for the lasagne sheets and fill to the top with salted water and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile wipe out the mushroom pan and add the butter letting it melt before adding the flour and stirring till you have a nice thick paste. Make sure it is on low. Cook for a minute or two without colouring . (if starting to colour add some milk to start it off) . Start to add the liquid starting with the milk then stock a bit at a time stirring well after each addition. You may not need all of the stock. The sauce shouldn't be thick just slightly thick and will take a few minutes before you can tell. Let your sauce simmer on very low for about 15 minutes stirring regularly before deciding to add more stock, you may not need it all. The addition of cheese will also thicken it a bit.
- Mix the three cheeses together well. Set aside
- Add a little salt and pepper and the dijon to the sauce along with cheese. Stir well. Take off the heat and stir in the chicken and mushroom mix and any accumulated juices.Taste the sauce and make sure it is seasoned well. Set aside.
- Meanwhile start to add the sheets two or three at a time into the water. Cook till slightly al dente then pick them out with tongs and drain. Drop them into a bowl of cold water till cooled as they can stick together.
- Once they are all cooked each layer should fit about 1 and a 1/2 sheets. Drain and cut every second one down the middle length ways and start to line the baking tray. Count how many sheets you have and that is how many layers your chicken mix should stretch to. For example if there are 4 x 1 1/2 pieces you will need to have divide the filling into approximately 4 cups
- Start the process with about 1 cup of the chicken mix spread over the bottom of the tray. (it doesn't need to be thick, just spread it). Plan to end the layering with noodles on top not chicken, the top has cheese.
- Continue in this way overlapping the pasta if necessary but using up all of the chicken as evenly as possible in each layer.
- Pour the cup of cream over the top and spread with a knife. Sprinkle over the extra cheese.
- Bake covered with foil for about 40 minutes then uncover and leave till bubbly and brown about another 10 minutes or so.
Recipe Notes
Use pre- bought roasted chicken or dice raw chicken thigh and simmer in the stock for the sauce. Drain and set aside.This makes a really delicious flavoured stock
Don't forget you can make this cover and refrigerate for a day. Just lengthen the cooking time by about 10 minutes.
Add as much cheese as you can handle 🙂
oh yum yum yum I am not a fan of tomatoes so this white lasagne would be perfect for me. that rose petal jam looks divine. i know you can order it online from bulgaria of all places. next time our friends go back to iran to visit their family, i may ask them to bring me back some of this.:) I adore triple cream brie and oh what’s that french one? comte d’affinois? delightful.
sherry from sherrys pickings recently posted..Nigella’s Split Pea Soup With Chilli, Ginger And Lime
Thats a great idea sherry. Glad you liked the cheese pictures!
It is amazing! It will be a nice try. Thanks for the wonderful post.
Thanks Jessica
Your lasagna sounds fantastic. I enjoy white lasagna, cheesy goodness and bonus of mushrooms, sounds perfect to me.
Hi Gretchen yes Mushrooms and gruyere are heaven
I just love cheese Tania and your triple cream cheese sounds amazing – where do you live? I’ll be right over 😉 No seriously, where can I get some I would love to delve straight into a big wedge! Your lasagne sounds amazing so I had to pin it for later reference 🙂 I also just made a vegetable lasagne, no tomato – it will be up on next months #IMK x
https://missfoodfairy.com/2016/04/10/in-my-kitchen-april-2016/
I am in NSW. You should probably ask at a cheese shop. They will have it.
My inlaws bring me rosehip jam, I wonder if it is anything like your rose flower jam?
No shari I think it is different
I’m saving your lasagna for later. They look delicious. Did you try to replace chicken with salmon? Brillat Savarin! That’s one of my favorite cheese and we have several hundreds of cheese here… haha! Your rose jam must be a delight. xx cathy
Thanks Cathy. I haven’t tried Salmon but it would work if you add it to the sauce raw ( cooled sauce) and then bake it.
I’ve never even heard of rose flower jam – how cool!!!!! Oh gosh I am adding this recipe to my list. I’m so boring with my traditional lasagnes – this one looks way better!!!!
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile recently posted..Neapolitan Whoopee Pies
Hi Lucy, yes rose flower jam. its a thing
Fabulous looking lasagne. Need to get the husband back to meat eating!
Oh no just make it with roasted pumpkin or zucchini!
Oh….imagine the smell and the leaky bloody mess you would have in your bag each day and the feral cats following you kitchen stories:). This Chicken with Mushroom recipe looks delicious.
Oh wow Amanda how funny. Are you talking about carrying Lasagne around in your bag. Lol feral cats?? you are a funny thing. Besides the cats following me it was delicious!
Mmm! What a great idea. I love tomatoes but creamy goes so well with pasta too! 😀
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..Crunchy and Fresh Fattoush Salad
Thanks Lorraine it is a very good addition to the menu
Looks divine! Thought slightly tough to rustle up for a novice like me 🙁
No its not you’d be surprised. just slap some white sauce and chicken between sheets of pasta. Done!
Loooove the sound of your white lasagne. Yum!
Sandra recently posted..In My Kitchen-April 2016
Hi sandra, thank you. it is a really nice change and strangely not as heavy even with all that cheese
Oh, you are clearly a woman after my own heart when it comes to cheese – delicious! And I love that rose petal jam.
Amanda (@lambsearsandhoney) recently posted..In My Kitchen April 2016
Yes cheese and more cheese makes the days go quicker
Tomato-less lasagne seems like a great idea. Your flavor combination sounds delicious. I’ve made an orange one based on pumpkin, but not like this. Who wouldn’t love all that cheese?
Best… Mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae it makes a nice change
I think a cheesey creamy lasagne is far more comforting than a tomato based one – I’d have to leave the mushrooms out though sorry! The roasted tomato salad sound perfect too.
Yes ha sad rich hates mushrooms they are so nice
Yes ha sad rich hates mushrooms they are so nice
So cheesy, rich and incredibly delicious! That arugula salad looks so fresh and delicious as well.
Ha yes cheesy something we love in this house. The saad was perfect…….except skater doesn’t like fresh tomatoes- they have to be in a sauce ( mixed with pasta). I am laughing….but no really