Chicken and Ham Wok Lasagne

Although I don’t mind washing up (it keeps my hands soft!), I do get irritable when having to use lots of pots and pans at the same time in the kitchen, particularly when I’m unfamiliar with a recipe. So the concept of Justine Pattison’s ‘Without the Calories – easy one pot’ book was appealing.

Chicken and Ham Wok Lasagne caught my eye within it because I was intrigued as to how realistic it could be to create a ‘lasagne’ using one pan. It was refreshingly simple, even if there’s a few ingredients to prep and get out on the working top before you start cooking. But above all this recipe tastes great too and while it might not be conventional, it’s effective when you can’t be arsed to make a proper lasagne. Actually, I can never be arsed to make a proper lasagne.

Recipe: Chicken and Ham Wok Lasagne

Calories: 467 calories per serving

Serves: 4

Book: Justine Pattison: Without the Calories – easy one pot

Prep time: Approx 15 mins

Cooking time: Approx 15 mins

Ingredients:

• Oil for spraying or brushing
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 600g boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 small breasts) cut into roughly 2cm chunks
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed or finely grated)
• 100ml white wine
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 150ml just boiled water
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 300ml semi-skimmed milk
• 2-3 fresh egg lasagne sheets (about 125g) each cut into 3 strips widthways
• 100g slicked smoked ham (cut into 2cm-wide strips)
• 100g young spinach leaves
• 100g ready grated mozzarella (from a packet)
• 20g Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
• Large mixed salad (to serve)

Cost per portion: Approx £2.63

Method: Brush or spray a little oil into a large non-stick, flameproof wok and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and chicken pieces and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until very lightly coloured.

Stir in the garlic then the wine. Crumble the stock cube over and stir until it starts to dissolve. Add the just-boiled water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 minute. While the liquid is simmering, stir 3 tablespoons of the milk into the cornflour in a bowl to make a smooth paste. Pour the rest of the milk and the cornflour mixture into the pan with the chicken and bring back to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Rinse the pasta strips quickly under cold water.

Add the ham, spinach leaves and pasta to the wok and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the pasta is tender. Preheat the grill to its hottest setting.

Scatter the grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top of the lasagne. Season with black pepper and grill for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Make sure your wok doesn’t have wooden or plastic handles, so it can go under the grill. Alternatively, transfer the lasagne to a suitable dish before grilling, but make sure you warm the dish before you add the lasagne. Serve with a large mixed salad.