Chicken & Bacon Lasagne
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 3
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN SAUCE
- 350g chicken, cut into small chunks
- Salt & pepper
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 4 rashers of unsmoked bacon
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp tomato Puree
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 chicken stock cube
FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE
- 600ml whole milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 50g butter
- 40g plain flour
- TOO FINISH
- Lasagne sheets
- Cheese
Method
- STEP 1Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
- STEP 2Season the chicken with salt & pepper and fry with garlic until the chicken is cooked but not browned. Set to one side.
- STEP 3Fry the bacon & onion and once the onion is soft add the mushroom, pepper and cooked chicken. Add enough tomato puree to coat the chicken, then stir in the tomatoes. Add thyme & basil to taste, season and bring the sauce to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer with the lid on for 15-20 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- STEP 4Remove the lid and sprinkle in the stock cube. Simmer until the sauce has thickened further.
- STEP 5To make the bechamel sauce:
- STEP 6
Put the milk in a saucepan with the bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Strain into a jug and rinse the pan out. Put the pan back on the heat and gently melt the butter, stir in the flour (use a wooden spoon or mini whisk) and cook for 1 minute, don't let the butter or flour brown at all. Take the pan off the heat and add the milk in 3 stages. At each stage beat or whisk the milk into the flour until it is completely smooth.
- STEP 7Once the flour is all in, bring the mixture back up to a simmer, stirring all the time to stop any lumps forming. Once the mixture looks as if it won't thicken any more, simmer it for 5 minutes, stirring/whisking now and then, until it looks really glossy. If you do have a few lumps, just strain the lot through a sieve.
- STEP 8But a layer of the chicken sauce into an overproof dish. Add a layer of lasagne, then 1/2 the bechamel sauce. Repeat this again and top with cheese.
- STEP 9Bake in the oven for 30 mins until the cheese has gone golden. Leave to cool for 5 mins before serving.
