Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna

Hello, welcome to Sunday Supper on Djalali Cooks. Today I have a different take on a classic – Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna. This is a white lasagna, meaning no red sauce. I have a few other differences that make this lasagna unique: cottage cheese instead of ricotta and instead of béchamel sauce, I have seasoned sour cream, which makes this layered noodle casserole feel a lot lighter. You can use leftover chicken or a store bought rotisserie chicken, if you prefer. All in all, this is an easy recipe that you can have on the table in just over 1 hour. Let’s do this Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna!

Start with preheating the oven to 400 degrees F, with the rack in the center position. I am cooking chicken thighs specifically for this lasagna., which doesn’t take much time or effort. But as I mentioned at the top, you can certainly use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Let’s start with the chicken. This lasagna will be made in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. so it’s perfect for four servings or for 2 with leftovers.

Chicken and Broccoli

I have about 1.5 pounds of chicken thighs that I am just going to season with kosher salt on one side at first. Get a pan, drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the pan, salted side down and then season the other side with a couple pinches of kosher salt.

Let the thighs cook undisturbed until they are golden brown and release easily from the pan. Flip and do the same on the other side, cooking until golden and cooked through. All in all about 12 minutes.

Transfer the thighs to a cutting board to cool slightly and then toss the broccoli in the pan to sauté with a good drizzle of olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium and just sauté the broccoli stirring occasionally until it is a brighter green and just begins to become tender. About 8 minutes.

While the broccoli is sautéing, slice the chicken thighs into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. When the broccoli is lightly tender, transfer the pieces to the bowl with the chicken. Season the chicken and broccoli with kosher salt, black pepper and just about all the zest of 1 lemon (save a little zest for the sour cream). Toss with tongs to mix in the seasoning. Set the chicken and broccoli aside.

Ranch-Style Sour Cream

Instead of a béchamel sauce, we are using sour cream seasoned with Ranch-style seasoning. To 8 ounces of sour cream, add 1 teaspoon each: dried basil, onion powder, dried parsley, mustard powder; and 1/2 teaspoon each celery salt and garlic powder. Add about 1 teaspoon lemon zest and the juice from half a lemon. Stir that all together and set aside.

Now, take 12 lasagne noodles and lay them in a rectangular baking dish. Pour boiling water over them to cover and let them soften while we mix the chicken and broccoli with cheese.

Chicken and Broccoli Filling

To the chicken and broccoli, add 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 egg and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Mix this all together really well.

Build the Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna!

Time to build this bad boy! Start with a light layer of the seasoned sour cream; spread it to coat the bottom of the baking dish. Then, lay three noodles to cover the sour cream. Let the ends of the noodles climb up the sides of the dish. Then, on top of the noodles spread half of the chicken and broccoli mixture.

Then lay three more noodles going in the opposite direction from the first set of noodles. Spread the remaining seasoned sour cream on this second layer of noodles. Cover the sour cream layer with three more noodles, going in the opposite direction from the second layer of noodles. Spread the rest of the chicken and broccoli mixture on top of this third layer of noodles.

Now, if you’re like me, you’re thinking “this is getting really crazy. Is it going to fit?” And the answer is yes. Onward! Lay down those last three noodles in the opposite direction of the third noodle layer. So we have used 12 noodles total, in 4 layers of three noodles each. This cream cheese layer is optional. I like the creamy tang it brings, but you can totally leave it off if you like. Top the lasagna with one heaping cup of grated mozzarella. Now we are ready for the oven.

Place the baking dish on a rimmed sheet tray and place on the center rack in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browning.

Let the lasagna cool and set for 15-20 minutes. Then dig in!

This Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna has such great flavors; it’s bright thanks to the lemon zest, and the seasoned sour cream. The broccoli still has some firmness, its perfectly tender. Nothing is overpowering anything else; it’s a varied, yet harmonious noodle casserole.

You might recall a similar lasagna we did, Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna; which is basically the same method, with different filling. I really like the flavors, textures and the lighter feeling of using cottage cheese in place of ricotta and sour cream instead of béchamel. It’s a great method that can be mixed and matched with all kinds of veggies and/or proteins to customize your white lasagna. I hope you give one or both of these white lasagnas a try. Let me know how you like the sour cream and cottage cheese substitutions. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Key Equipment

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Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna

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Dinner, Main Course – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 30 Minutes – Cooking Time: 30 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour, Plus 15-20 minutes cooling time

Chicken and broccoli seasoned with lemon zest, creamy cheese and seasoned sour cream layered with noodles, it's Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna!

Ingredients

• Chicken and Broccoli Filling
• 1-1.5 lbs. Chicken Thighs or Breasts
• 1 Head of Broccoli, cut into small florets (Or Broccolini, stalks and heads cut into 1-inch pieces)
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• 1 cup Cottage Cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• Ranch-Style Sour Cream
• 8 oz. Sour Cream
• 1 tsp. Dried Basil
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Dried Parsley
• 1 tsp. Mustard Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Celery Salt
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• Juice from Half Lemon
• Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna
• 12 Lasagne Noodles
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese, sliced into strips (OPTIONAL)
• 1 cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

1

Start with preheating the oven to 400 degrees F, with the rack in the center position.

Chicken and Broccoli

2

Season one side of the chicken with kosher salt.

3

Get a pan, drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the pan, salted side down and then season the other side with a couple pinches of kosher salt.

4

Let the thighs cook undisturbed until they are golden brown and release easily from the pan. Flip and do the same on the other side, cooking until golden and cooked through. All in all about 12 minutes.

5

Transfer the thighs to a cutting board to cool slightly and then toss the broccoli in the pan to sauté with a good drizzle of olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium and just sauté the broccoli stirring occasionally until it is a brighter green and just begins to become tender. About 8 minutes.

6

While the broccoli is sautéing, slice the chicken thighs into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. When the broccoli is lightly tender, transfer the pieces to the bowl with the chicken. Season the chicken and broccoli with kosher salt, black pepper and the zest of 1 lemon. Toss with tongs to mix in the seasoning. Set the chicken and broccoli aside.

Ranch-Style Sour Cream

7

To 8 ounces of sour cream, add 1 teaspoon each: dried basil, onion powder, dried parsley, mustard powder; and 1/2 teaspoon each celery salt and garlic powder. Add about 1 teaspoon lemon zest and the juice from half a lemon. Stir that all together and set aside.

Noodles

8

Now, take 12 lasagne noodles and lay them in a rectangular baking dish. Pour boiling water over them to cover and let them soften while we mix the chicken and broccoli with cheese.

Chicken and Broccoli Filling

9

To the chicken and broccoli, add cottage cheese, egg and grated Parmesan. Mix this all together really well.

Chicken and Broccoli Lasagna Assembly

10

In an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking dish, spread a light layer of the seasoned sour cream to coat the bottom of the baking dish.

11

Then, lay three noodles to cover the sour cream. Let the ends of the noodles climb up the sides of the dish.

12

Then, on top of the noodles spread half of the chicken and broccoli mixture.

13

Then lay three more noodles going in the opposite direction from the first set of noodles.

14

Spread the remaining seasoned sour cream on this second layer of noodles.

15

Cover the sour cream layer with three more noodles, going in the opposite direction from the second layer of noodles.

16

Spread the rest of the chicken and broccoli mixture on top of this third layer of noodles.

17

Lay down those last three noodles in the opposite direction of the third noodle layer. So we have used 12 noodles total, in 4 layers of three noodles each.

18

If using the optional cream cheese layer, lay the slices of cream cheese on top of the noodles.

19

Top the lasagna with one heaping cup of grated mozzarella.

20

Place the baking dish on a rimmed sheet tray and place on the center rack in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browning.

21

Let the lasagna cool and set for 15-20 minutes.

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