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White Lasagne

White Lasagne Chicken, Mushroom and Gruyere: In My Kitchen April '16

This recipe was completely inspired by thekitchn.com one of my favourite blogs. I have changed it a little to take out some of the milk and add more stock and flavour to the white sauce. If you want to use all milk in your white sauce then please do
4.75 from 4 votes
Course Maincourse
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 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.

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 :)