This chicken curry lasagna with pumpkin and coconut milk is fusion food at its best; this is one of the most delicious lasagne you can think of.
This chicken curry lasagna is so amazing!!!!!!! I don't even know what else I could say about it except that we ate it last Friday, and I really had to struggle not to make it again today with the next pumpkin I bought. I made the Easy Pumpkin Soup with Ginger instead.
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Recipe ingredients
I used Hokkaido pumpkin again, which doesn't need any peeling, but you can use butternut squash or any other tasty, sweet variety. I say tasty because I really had some other kinds of pumpkin in my life, which tasted just watery and bah.
You can use any sort of curry paste you like (green, red, yellow); I like the green one I have because it's not too spicy, so the children don't have problems eating it, too.
The lasagna sheets I have are pretty small, so I needed 9 of them; use what you need to get 3 layers. The lasagna sheets I used do not need to be pre-cooked.
I used Gouda, but you can substitute mozzarella, Cheddar, Parmesan, or anything elseย you like.
Equipment needed:
- A rectangular baking dish of about 12x9 inches( 30x20 cm; a little more or less is okay.
- Large saucepan.
- Box grater.
How to make chicken curry lasagna?
Make the sauce
- Prepare the ingredients: Grate the pumpkin and cut the chicken into small pieces.
- Sauce: Stir the curry paste in the hot pan for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, fill the empty can with water, and pour the water into the pan. Bring to a boil, add lemon juice and soy sauce, and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Cook: Add pumpkin and chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the pumpkin is soft. The sauce should be quite runny; if it's not, add a little water to thin it.
How to assemble the lasagna?
- Divide the sauce into 4 equal parts. Do this with your eyes; you don't have to weigh anything.
- First layer: Pour ยผ of the sauce into the baking dish and spread it all over. Cover with no-boil lasagne sheets; I can fit 3 into my baking dish.
- Second layer: Cover with another ยผ of the sauce and another layer of pasta.
- Third layer: Spread another ยผ of the sauce and cover with pasta sheets.
- Fourth layer: Spread the remaining sauce as a last layer.
- Cheese: Mix the grated cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle all over the lasagna.
Bake lasagna
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through and the top is golden brown.
- Check with a fork; you should be able to pierce the pasta easily.
- Turn off the heat, but let the curry chicken lasagna in the oven for about 5-10 minutes more.
- Let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- Cover it if necessary: If your lasagna starts to brown too quickly on top, cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Allow resting time: Let the curried lasagna with chicken and pumpkin rest for 10-15 minutes after removing it from the oven. This allows it to set and makes it easier to slice without falling apart.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Assemble the lasagna and let it cool. Cover the baking dish tightly or wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1-2 days. When ready to bake, let it come to room temperature, remove the plastic, and bake as instructed. You might need to add a few minutes to the baking time; make sure that the noodles are cooked through.
Yes, you can assemble the chicken curry lasagna, wrap it tightly, and freeze it for up to 2-3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before baking.
Yes. Cut it or shred it into small pieces and only reheat in the finished sauce, 2-3 minutes should do it.
How to store and reheat?
Refrigerate leftover chicken curry lasagna in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge, preferably overnight.
Reheat in the preheated oven (350ยฐF/175ยฐC), covered with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
The exact time may vary based on the size and thickness of the lasagna.
If you want to make the top crispy, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Check the center with a knife or fork to ensure it's hot all the way through before serving.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave in a microwave-safe container, covered, on full power in 90-second increments until it's heated through.
How to serve?
I often make a green salad with yogurt dressing or vinaigrette to serve with the chicken curry lasagna.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Recipe
Chicken Curry Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons green curry paste Note 1
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 empty can of coconut milk filled with water
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 small Hokkaido pumpkin or ยฝ butternut squash, 1 ยฝ lbs/ 700 g
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast 450 g, Notes 2,3
- 9 no-boil lasagna sheets more or less depending on size, about 170 g/ 6 oz
- 1โ cup grated cheese 150 g/ 5.5 oz
- ยฝ cup Panko breadcrumbs or regular dried breadcrumbs, 30 g/ 1 oz
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 Fahrenheit.
- Grate the pumpkin coarsely. Cut the chicken breasts into very small pieces.
- Make lasagna sauce: Heat a large pan over moderate heat and add the curry paste. Stir well for 1 minute, then pour in the coconut milk. Fill the empty can with water and add that to the pan as well. Bring everything to a boil, add the lemon juice and the soy sauce, and let simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken and pumpkin to the pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, covered, until everything is soft, about 10 minutes but check. The sauce should still be quite runny; if it is not, add a bit more water.
- Assemble lasagna: Spread ยผ of the sauce in a rectangular pan of about 30x20 cm/ 12x9 inches. Cover with lasagne sheets. Add another ยผ of the sauce, lasagne sheets, another ยผ sauce, lasagne sheets, and ยผ of the sauce again. You should have 4 layers of sauce and 3 layers of lasagne sheets.
- Mix the cheese and the breadcrumbs and sprinkle them over the last sauce layer.
- Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through and the cheese is golden brown. Turn off the oven and let sit inside for another 10 minutes.
Notes
- Curry paste: You can use yellow curry paste instead. Or replace the paste with 2 teaspoons of curry powder. I would advise against using red curry paste as it tends to be excessively spicy and can overwhelm the flavor of the dish.
- Chicken: Replace the chicken breast with boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Leftover cooked chicken:ย If using leftover chicken, cut or shred it and reheat it in the sauce for 2-3 minutes.ย
Rick says
I followed instructions exactly. There was nowhere near enough sauce. 1/4 of sauce was not enough o even barely cover the baking dish. I used a 20x20 dish in the end and 1/4 still wasnโt enough. Way to short. You must have your measurements wrong.
Adina says
@Rick, sorry it didn't work for you, I have no idea why. I always make the same recipe. 1 can of coconut milk is standard 400 g/ 14 oz and to that you add the same amount of water. It is enough for a regular-sized baking dish. Maybe your can was smaller or the sauce reduced too much?
Roland says
Lovely pics. Canยดt wait to taste it.
Adina says
thank you!