Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

For the lasagna:

·         10-15 no-boil lasagna noodles

·         3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (use rotisserie chicken for lots of yummy flavor)

·         12 ounces frozen peas

·         ½ cup Parmesan cheese

·         ½ cup Swiss cheese

·         1 cup water

·         ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

·         fresh herbs for topping

For the sauce:

·         6 tablespoons butter

·         1½ tablespoons minced garlic

·         6 tablespoons flour

·         ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

·         ¾ teaspoon salt

·         5 cups milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant - stir continuously to avoid burning because burnt garlic will taste bitter. Add the flour, poultry seasoning, and salt. Whisk and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the milk, one cup at a time, whisking after each addition and allowing it to thicken slightly each time before adding the next cup. When the sauce is smooth and thick, remove from heat and set aside.

2.    Layer the lasagna: Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover the bottom of the pan with (about 5) broken lasagna noodles, half of the chicken, half of the peas, ¼ cup Parmesan, ⅓ cup water, and 1½ cups sauce. Repeat this layer once more. Top with a layer of broken noodles, ⅓ cup water, 1½ cups sauce, and ½ cup Swiss cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

3.    Making it pretty: Remove the foil, sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh herbs like parsley and thyme. Let stand 10 minutes or more before cutting and serving.

*Nutrition is for 12 servings using 1 lb. shredded chicken breasts. Rotisserie chicken is a great option because of the flavor, but if you wanted to avoid the extra fat I would just cook your own chicken and sprinkle it generously with some seasoning.

*The water gets added to help the no-boil noodles get cooked, so unless you're using a different kind of noodles, don't skip this. The noodles should soak up all that water during baking.

ENJOY IT!