Easy And Cheesy Chicken Alfredo Skillet Lasagna Recipe

We could all use more quick, easy, and ideally cheesy weeknight recipes in our repertoire, and this easy and cheesy chicken Alfredo skillet lasagna recipe from developer Kara Barrett checks all of the boxes. Despite the title being a bit of a mouthful, the ingredient list is pretty minimal here, with many of the necessary inclusions being pantry or fridge staples – we're talking just nine total ingredients, including salt and pepper.

Minimal ingredients aside, the dish is also easy to make — something that Barrett is particularly fond of. "I love how everything comes together so quickly, and when it's done, you have a dish that is rich, silky, and comforting," she says, noting that her "goal was to create a dish that anyone can easily put on the table with minimal effort but with maximum payoff." Since the dish calls for cooked, shredded chicken, you've got a couple of options: Use up some leftovers, cook a couple of chicken breasts and shred them before beginning the recipe, or take a cue from Barrett and simply use rotisserie chicken meat. Whichever chicken approach you take, this recipe offers up an inventive way to make use of extra chicken and lasagna noodles in a way that isn't, well, plain old lasagna.

You'll kick off this recipe by sauteing garlic in butter, then you'll build a creamy sauce with chicken stock and heavy cream. Next up are the lasagna noodles, along with salt and pepper, and you'll finish off the skillet by adding in cooked chicken (shredded) and some Parmesan cheese. Optionally, you can add an herbaceous pop by garnishing the skillet with fresh parsley.

In a hot skillet, melt the butter.

Saute the garlic until fragrant.

Add the cream and stock, stirring.

Add the lasagna noodles, making sure that they are submerged.

Add the salt and pepper.

Increase the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the noodles are soft, add the shredded chicken and Parmesan, mixing well to combine and warm the chicken.

Serve warm, with fresh parsley, if desired.

Though this may be a pretty simple recipe overall, there is one pitfall that Barrett advises to be on the lookout for, and that's over-salting the dish. She notes that she uses both unsalted butter and unsalted stock then adds salt herself, and if you use salted butter or stock on hand, your dish will be far too salty if you also add salt yourself. So, try to follow her lead and opt for the unsalted stuff. If it's all you've got on hand, you may be able to skip adding your own salt, or you can give the sauce a taste and determine whether or not more salt is needed.

Barrett also explains that this final dish will be a bit saucy, but that's nothing to worry about. "It will continue to thicken as it cools, and the noodles will soak up sauce overnight if you have leftovers," she explains. If you do go the leftover route, you may need to add a splash of water when reheating to loosen things up. Finally, Barrett also strongly advises against skipping the garlic, as that flavor profile strikes a nice balance against the ultra-creamy and rich Alfredo sauce. 

This lasagna skillet recipe is pretty bare-bones by nature, requiring just nine ingredients and keeping things simple and classic as far as homemade Alfredo sauces are concerned. Of course, just because it's a simple recipe doesn't mean that you can't still get creative with it. One of the easiest ways to switch things up is with the main protein in the dish, a.k.a. the chicken. "Feel free to swap out the rotisserie with chicken you cook at home. Breast or thighs will work nicely," Barrett suggests. For those seafood lovers, she says, "Forget the chicken and add some precooked shrimp."

While Barrett has already advised against skipping the garlic and stresses the importance of black pepper to help cut through all of that rich sauce, that does leave one more place where customization is possible — the final garish department. Fresh parsley works hard to add a pop of brightness to this dish, though why stop there? "I also think getting generous with the parsley and adding a squeeze of lemon at the end will brighten things up a bit," Barrett suggests. And, even if you want to keep the recipe exactly as-is, you can always add a bright salad on the side instead.