This recipe is great because it uses things that we always have in our cupboard and is pretty dang foolproof. I mean, honestly, you can’t go wrong with chicken, pasta and cheese! It was quite easy and pretty efficient on time too!
Baked Cheesy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp butter
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 lb. pasta (rotini, penne, rigatoni, bowties- whatever you’d like)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. flour
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 3 c. milk
- 3/4 c. shredded cheese (I used a provolone/mozzarella mix)
- 3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Boil pasta until al dente- about 3 minutes under recommended time. Set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Season chicken with salt & pepper and cook until no longer pink inside. Remove from pan and thinly slice. Set aside.
- In a medium pot or dutch oven, melt butter and add flour and garlic. Whisk together and cook for about 1 minute (you are creating roux- the thickener for your cheese sauce).
- Gradually add milk while whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and whisk frequently while sauce thickens. It may take a few minutes to thicken, just keep whisking!
- Remove pot from heat and gradually stir in cheeses.
- Add chicken and pasta to pot. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Pour mixture into a greased baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until top is golden and bubbling. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.