Buffalo Chicken Lasagna Recipe
One of the traditional ways to prepare lasagna is with noodles, red sauce, and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. This Buffalo chicken lasagna puts a fun twist on an everyday classic, and if you love all things Buffalo like we do, then trust us when we tell you that you're going to love this recipe! The great part about this dish is that it's incredibly filling, incredibly tasty, and it's also surprisingly easy to make. It gives you your fill of protein and pasta and then has layers upon layers of cheese. Are you drooling yet?
Recipe developer and private practice registered dietician Kristen Carli has a knack for coming up with some of the most flavorful and fun dishes, and this recipe is no exception. "I love Buffalo chicken ... this is the ultimate cheese Buffalo chicken lasagna. It is so rich and flavorful," Carli raves. "When I think of Buffalo chicken, I think of football. This is a great meal to serve on football Sunday." We'd have to agree. Keep reading to find out how to make this wonderful recipe.
Gather the ingredients for Buffalo chicken lasagna
Let's get this recipe started! The first thing you need to do is make a list of items that you will need to whip up this dish and then head to the grocery store. Start with a few cups of shredded chicken breasts. You could shred the chicken yourself, or you can buy the pre-cooked chicken at the store. You will also need a ranch dressing packet and some Buffalo sauce — both of which give this lasagna a lot of flavor. In terms of cheese, you will need blue cheese crumbles and ricotta cheese. Then, pick up some oven-ready lasagna noodles and shredded mozzarella.
Prep the baking dish, then mix the chicken, ranch, and Buffalo
Before doing any of the actual cooking and prep work, preheat the oven to 350 F. While you wait for it to get nice and hot, take out a 9x13-inch baking dish. "If you do not have a 9x13-inch dish, you can use an 8x8-inch, but since it is a bit smaller, you will not have the same layers," Carli notes. Spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. This ensures that the lasagna won't stick to the bottom, which makes serving and cleanup a lot easier.
Now that you have some of the more tedious items out of the way, it's time to get started putting this lasagna together. Start by taking out a large bowl and throwing in your chicken. As a reminder, you should have cooked and shredded it ahead of time. If you went with the easier route and purchased the store-bough chicken, then just take it out of its packaging and measure out 2 cups. Then, toss in the packet of ranch dressing and the Buffalo sauce. Pull out a pair of tongs, and toss everything together to combine.
Add the cheese to the mix
It's time to get cheesy! Grab a medium-sized bowl that is large enough to fit most of your cheese. Add the blue cheese first. Some people love blue cheese, and others don't as much, so if blue cheese isn't your thing, you don't have to use it — luckily, there's a sub. "Instead of blue cheese, you can sub in feta cheese," Carli shares. Then, toss in the ricotta and 1 cup of mozzarella. You will need the remaining mozzarella in the next step. Use a spoon to mix the cheese together and combine.
Layer the lasagna
Grab the baking dish you greased earlier in the cooking process, and get to layering this masterpiece. Start by placing half of the chicken mixture on the bottom. Then, add four lasagna noodles over it. Now, take half of the cheese mixture, and put it on top of the noodles. Repeat the remaining layers with the chicken, lasagna noodles, and then the cheese mixture in the same order as you did before. Top the final layer with lasagna noodles, and then add the remaining 2 cups of cheese. Be excited, because now it's time to start baking.
Bake, and enjoy
Congratulations, you have completed all of the prep work, and it turns out, making lasagna isn't that hard at all. Now, place the baking dish in the oven. Be sure to check that it has finished preheating before you pop in the lasagna. Set your timer for 30 minutes, and let the lasagna bake. When the timer goes off, take the lasagna out of the oven, and serve.
"Since this dish is so decadent, I love serving this on the side of fruit," Carli notes. We also think that it would be great with a freshly tossed salad. It's a perfect recipe to pull out for the holidays and beyond.
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
- 1 (1-ounce) ranch dressing packet
- ¾ cup Buffalo sauce
- 3 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 pound oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add the shredded chicken, ranch dressing packet, and Buffalo sauce. Using tongs, mix to combine.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the blue cheese, ricotta, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Using a spoon, mix to combine.
- Place ½ of the chicken mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Cover with ½ of the ricotta mixture. Repeat layers of the chicken mixture, lasagna noodles, and ricotta mixture. Top with a final layer of lasagna noodles and 2 cups of the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve, and enjoy!