my favorite recipe evah

one of my favorite cook books...pasta cooking by jeni wright. i found this recipe and thought i'd give it a shot. i've made it a million times since. this is my version of chicken lasagne. it sounds scary- it has carrots, but it's delectable. and folks, there's bacon in it... now i got your attention! when i cut the bacon i use just the lean part (not the fat). your call obviously. i cook my own chicken, but feel free to shred rotisserie chicken.
on another note, did you know the average american consumes more than 17.9 pounds of bacon per year? yikes.

chicken lasagne

2 tbl olive oil
4 bone-in chicken breasts (cooked in oven for 60 min at 375 degrees, cooled and shredded)
8 oz bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 tbl tomato paste
1 3/4 c chicken stock
12 sheets lasagne, cooked

for cheese sauce:
4 tbl butter
4 tbl flour
2 1/2 c milk
1 c sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp mustard powder
salt and black pepper

1. heat olive oil in large stock pot. brown bacon. add garlic, onions and carrots. cook for 5 minutes or until softened. add tomato paste, stock and seasoning (salt and black pepper). bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 min. add chicken for last 10 minutes.
2. on to the sauce... melt butter in saucepan, add flour and gradually blend in the milk, stirring until smooth. bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened, and simmer for several minutes. add half of the cheddar cheese and mustard. season to taste.
3. layer the following in casserole dish with chicken mixture, lasagne noodles, cheese sauce (save some for top) repeatedly ending with chicken mixture.
4. pour the cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle remaining cheddar. bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until lightly browned on top.

 

adapted from jeni wright