This creamy chicken pasta bake gives you one generous family dish with tender chicken, vegetables, a smooth sauce and a golden cheese topping.
Serves: 6 Difficulty: Easy
Total time: 50 minutes Estimated cost: R165–R195 total; R28–R33 per serving
Prices are estimates and vary by shop, brand and area in South Africa.
Ingredients
- 350 g penne or fusilli
- 2 tbsp oil
- 500 g chicken breast, cubed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 250 g mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500 ml milk
- 150 ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C and grease a baking dish.
- Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than packet directions.
- Brown the chicken and set aside.
- Cook onion, pepper and mushrooms; add garlic.
- Stir in flour, then gradually add milk and stock until thick.
- Add chicken, herbs, half the cheese and pasta.
- Top with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
A creamy bake, not dry pasta
Use a roughly 2.5–3 litre baking dish. Cut the chicken into even 2 cm cubes and crush the garlic. Undercook the pasta by two minutes because it will absorb more liquid in the oven. After adding flour to the vegetables, stir for one minute, then add the milk a little at a time to avoid lumps.
Before it goes into the oven
The sauce should coat the pasta generously and remain slightly looser than a finished stovetop sauce. If it is already stiff, add a small splash of milk. Fold in the chicken and pasta, top with cheese and bake until bubbling throughout. Check that the chicken reaches 74°C in its thickest pieces; browning alone does not show that it is cooked.
Serving and leftovers
Rest for five minutes before serving so the sauce settles. A tomato-and-cucumber salad balances the creamy sauce. Refrigerate leftovers promptly for up to three days. Add a splash of milk when reheating, cover to retain moisture and heat to 74°C throughout. When doubling, use two dishes of the original depth rather than one deep dish.