A firm favourite in our house, and perfect to have in the freezer...
The holidays are coming and that means houses full of people and friends. I grew up going to Devon each summer and as we climbed into the car surrounded by bags my Mum would take a frozen chicken lasagne out of the freezer and squeeze it into the last available space in the car. By the time we got to Devon the lasagne had defrosted and supper would be on the table by the time we had unpacked. It’s a firm favourite in our house and I’m sure it will become a one of yours too.
Serves 6 – 8
Prep time 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 x large 3 or 4lb ready-cooked rotisserie chicken, or 2 smaller ones
- 300 ml white wine
- 5 large leeks, sliced. Cut the tops off and use them for chicken stock (see recipe)
- 150g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated using a microplane grater
- Lasagne sheets
- 800ml litre chicken stock. If I’m not using home made stock I Iike to use the Kallo very low salt organic stock cubes
- 100g plain flour
- 175g grated Gruyere cheese
- 50g grated cheddar cheese
- 284ml full fat milk
- 200g Parmesan cheese, grated
You will need an oven proof lasagne dish approximately 30x20cm
Method:
STEP ONE: Take all the meat off the chicken and cut into small pieces. Set aside. You can use the chicken bones to make stock.
STEP TWO: Melt one third of the butter in a pan and sauté the leeks on a low heat until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
STEP THREE: In a separate pan melt the rest of the butter then add the flour. Cook on a low heat, stirring, for 1 minute.
STEP FOUR: Remove from the heat and slowly add the chicken stock and the wine, stirring all the time. Return to a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until it thickens, stirring to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the pan.
STEP FIVE: Remove from the heat and add the grated gruyere, cheddar and milk. Season with salt and pepper, not too much as the cheese is salty. You can always add salt but you can’t take it out.
STEP SIX: Put a little of the sauce on the bottom of the lasagne dish and then a layer of lasagne sheets, scatter over some chicken then some leeks and cover with grated parmesan. Then a layer of sauce, lasagne, chicken leeks, lasagne and finish with a layer of sauce. Cover with grated parmesan and cheddar.
STEP SEVEN: Preheat the oven to 190C or use the top of the bottom right AGA and cook for 45-50 minutes. The top should be golden. Serve with a green salad.
Notes: This can be frozen at the end of stage 7. Defrost fully before cooking. The quantities are easy to double or even triple if making fro large numbers.
