#26 Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

Last night I made the second lasagna from the cookbook Lasagna: 50 Recipes for the Original One-Dish Meal. The Buffalo Chicken Lasagna came from Chapter 3 Lasagna Around the World. I knew right away that Dominic would like this one, but was nervous about whether or not the girls and I would. I'm so glad that I made it anyway because it was so delicious! Eliza kept telling me how "yummy" it was the whole time she was eating hers. Audrey didn't even try one bite, but thats normal for her.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

9 lasagna noodles

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp Thai curry paste (optional)

4 cups Quick Tomato Sauce (see recipe here)

1 1/2 cups water

3 Tbsp hot sauce

1 egg, beaten

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup crumbled blue or Gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Evenly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water, and set aside on a towel to dry.

In a large skillet over medium to high heat, melt the butter and oil, saute the onion, garlic, and peppers until tender and onions become translucent. Add chicken and cayenne pepper, stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and Thai curry paste, stir and continue to cook for another minute. Add tomato sauce and water, bring to a boil for 1 minute, add hot sauce, reduce heat, and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the beaten egg with the ricotta cheese and set aside

To assemble:

Layer the bottom of the baking dish with 3 lasagna noodles, top with 1 1/2 cups of the chicken mixture and half of the ricotta cheese mixture, and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Top with 3 more noodles and repeat with 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture, remaining ricotta cheese, and remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with one last layer of noodles and remaining chicken mixture. Cover pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle crumbled blue cheese on top, and bake and additional 10 minutes until top is golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

I used Franks Original Hot Sauce, Gorgonzola on top, and opted not to use the Thai curry paste (just one less ingredient to buy). The chicken mixture seemed a bit watery, so when I added the remaining amount on top of the last layer of noodles, I just scooped it and left some of the liquid back. I also used about 2 cups of chicken mixture for each layer instead of the 1 1/2 that it called for. I'm glad I did, because there would have been too much on the top in my opinion. I was very happy with this recipe overall. I did a lot of the prep work earlier in the day, such as making the sauce, chopping the veggies, etc. This helped to keep it simple when it was time to put it all together - a big help when Audrey is constantly in the kitchen when dinner time gets near. The recipe says that it serves 8. We will be having leftovers on Sunday - one of the best parts of any lasagna!