This Marry Me Chicken Lasagna recipe is one that tastes amazing made with a creamy sauce, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and plenty of cheese!
Marry Me Chicken Lasagna
As you may be aware, Marry Me Chicken is a very popular recipe with lots of versions floating around out there. It’s said that the name originated when an editor from Delish created this chicken dish for a video. After filming, the videographer got a taste and exclaimed, “I’d marry you for that chicken.” Thus the name! I wanted to keep the flavors of that dish, but “marry” it with pasta, which my husband happens to love. After a little brain storming, Marry Me Chicken Lasagna was born and it definitely lives up to the original flavors.
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- lasagna noodles
- butter
- garlic
- milk
- heavy whipping cream
- grated Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- red pepper flakes
- fresh spinach
- sun dried tomatoes
- skim ricotta cheese
- garlic powder
- shredded cooked chicken breast
- bacon
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh Italian parsley
✏️ How to make Marry Me Chicken Lasagna:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and heat for 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk, cream, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Heat until bubbling. Add the Parmesan and whisk until smooth. Then stir in the spinach and sun dried tomatoes, and let sit until you’re ready to use it.
ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA:
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the garlic powder.
- Spoon about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles. Add the chicken and bacon to the remaining sauce and spoon ⅓ of the chicken mixture evenly over the ricotta layer. Top with ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers two more times, starting with the lasagna noodles.
- Cover with foil, and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil and bake for a few more minutes, until the cheese is golden brown. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
➡️ Tips and Substitutions:
- Be careful not to overcook the lasagna noodles. You want them to be just barely al dente because they will continue to soften as the lasagna bakes.
- Make it easy on yourself and buy a roasted chicken from the super market. I ended up using almost all the meat off of one to get the 4 cups of shredded chicken. Feel free to include dark meat in your lasagna. I did!
- Don’t be afraid to switch things up to your own tastes. Love spinach? Add more. Prefer Romano cheese? Go for it! I think this recipe would be great with some sliced Kalamata olives in the sauce. Their salty flavor would add something a little different to the recipe.
✔️ Make ahead tips:
This is a perfect recipe to make ahead for a busy evening. In the morning, or even the night before, make the recipe right up to the point before baking. Cover it tightly and store in your refrigerator. About 30 minutes before putting it in the oven, remove from the refrigerator and set on the counter. You want to let the lasagna warm up a little before baking. Then, bake as directed making sure the lasagna is hot and bubbly throughout before removing from the oven.
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- To begin, this lasagna is not only delicious, but also a little on the indulgent side. Sometimes we all need that sort of comfort food and I love that Marry Me Lasagna fills that space.
- My hubby adored it and that’s exactly what I was going for!
- I love that this recipe can so easily be made ahead. I think it would be wonderful served at a dinner party and being able to put together the main dish the morning of a party is always a big help.
Favorite Lasagna Recipes:
Marry Me Chicken Lasagna
Ingredients
PASTA:
- 9 whole lasagna noodles, cooked according to package instructions
SAUCE:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ cups milk
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- ⅔ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
THE REST:
- 2 cups skim ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
- 8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp (and crumbled)
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and heat for 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk, cream, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Heat until bubbling. Add the Parmesan and whisk until smooth. Then stir in the spinach and sun dried tomatoes, and let sit until you're ready to use it.
ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA:
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the garlic powder.
- Spoon about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles. Add the chicken and bacon to the remaining sauce and spoon ⅓ of the chicken mixture evenly over the ricotta layer. Top with ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers two more times, starting with the lasagna noodles.
- Cover with foil, and bake 4o to 50 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil and bake for a few more minutes, until the cheese is golden brown. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What do you think about no cook lasagne noodles ( barilla or ronzoni) the baking time is surely long enough.
I think that would probably be okay!
No egg in the ricotta? Does it stay moist?
yes!