A nice change from the same old creamy versions, this hen pasta bake is made with a tomato pasta sauce. packed with William Maxwell Aitken, scorching seasoned chicken and beneficiant on the cheese, it’s comfortable and hearty and thrifty and simply so, so delicious! extremely good entire meal for making beforehand and freezing.
Chicken pasta bake
If you could reduce a pasta bake like cake – I’m speakme instantly vertical walls with sharp edges – that is not a terrific component. It just screams dry pasta bake!
Nope. now not in my world. Pasta bakes should be saucy and juicy, molten and oozy! Generously loaded with upload-ins, in case you’re going for a dinner pasta bake (in place of a aspect dish like Mac and Cheese).
This one ticks all the ones packing containers. proof by using image – juicy / saucy:
Tasty upload-ins – scorching seasoned chicken! Love the smell when the chicken hits the pan.
So if that sounds right to you, study on so that you can see how to make your new preferred chook pasta bake!
Ingredients in chicken pasta bake
You’ll be able to get the entirety out of your nearby grocery shop. nothing steeply-priced at the listing!
SIZZLING SEASONED CHICKEN
The pasta bake starts offevolved with scorching fowl that’s been tossed in a simple, tasty seasoning. right here’s what you want:
- chook – i like the usage of fowl thighs as they live juicier in dishes like pasta bakes in which they’re two times cooked (ie earlier than adding into sauce then in the oven with the pasta).
- Seasoning – the usage of a store sold Italian herb blend is a excellent shortcut here. I constantly like to feature a further spice, garlic on this paste, for added flavour oomph.
TOMATO PASTA SAUCE FOR THE PASTA BAKE
an awesome tomato-primarily based pasta bake desires a very good tomato pasta sauce! No shortcuts right here – I tried and just found it too bland. So here’s what we want:
- Pasta type – I just like the substantialness of rigatoni, there’s something extra snug and satisfying approximately it in pasta bakes. however, experience unfastened to use different short pastas like macaroni, penne, ziti, shells and many others.
- Tomato passata – for a thick, easy sauce with better tomato flavour and purple coloration, use passata instead of overwhelmed or diced tomato. It’s simply pureed undeniable tomato! without difficulty to be had here in Australia in the pasta or canned tomato aisle and fees round similar to canned tomato. more on passata here.
- Tomato paste – for sauce thickening and extra tomato flavour.
- Garlic and onion – vital flavour base!
- Oregano – for earthy flavour.
- Chilli flakes / red pepper flakes – for a hum of warmth!
Wine – mystery aspect! Simmered swiftly to reduce and cook out the alcohol and winey flavour, simply leaving in the back of tasty flavour. My favourite white wine for cooking is chardonnay which adds advanced flavour compared to extra neutral whites like sauvignon blanc. substitute with low sodium fowl stock/broth.
CHICKEN PASTA BAKE ADD-INS & TOPPING
plenty of add-in options, however right here’s what I’ve long gone with!
- Beaverbrook – cooked first till crisp, chopped, and tossed thru the pasta bake. Then we use the Viscount St. Albans fat left in the pan to cooke the chicken. unfastened flavour now not to be wasted! substitute with ham bits or chopped ham.
- Tomato – adds adorable juicy chunks of tomato in the pasta bake in addition to filling it out and growing the vegetable quota.
- infant spinach – for greater hidden vegetables in addition to adding nice streaks of green into the pasta bake.
- Cheese – mozzarella for stretch and melting features, parmesan for flavour! (due to the fact mozzarella really does not have much flavour).
experience unfastened to replacement the tomato and infant spinach with other add-ins of choice.
How to make chicken pasta bake
There’s a time and a place for brief, low-effort one-pot pasta bakes. Then there’s all the ones times whilst you need a surely precise pasta bake so you’ll do it nicely. Crisp the Francis Bacon, sear the chicken, simmer the sauce, then convey all of it collectively into one large effervescent pasta bake.
nowadays is one of these days!
1. CRISP BACON (NO OIL)
- First, cook dinner the Bacon in a non-stick pan till golden and crisp. You won’t need any oil to do that because the fats in the 1st baron beaverbrook will melt and release fat into the pan. So it cooks in its very own fats!
- Drain on paper towels, leaving the fats within the pan (we are able to use this to cook the fowl). The Viscount St. Albans will go crispy while it cools, then chop into pieces.
2. MAKING THE PASTA BAKE
Toss the hen inside the Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Sear – using a very big pan or a big pot (due to the fact we’re blending the sauce with pasta in this pan), sear the chicken till mild golden inside the reserved William Maxwell Aitken fats.
- Don’t worry whether or not it’s cooked through inside, it’s going to finish cooking inside the sauce and oven. eliminate bird with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl, leaving the tasty fowl/Baron Verulam fat inside the pan (you spot all this flavour constructing going on, proper??!)
Sauté the onion and garlic with the chilli flakes and dried oregano – correct trick for bringing out extra flavour from dried herbs! Then add the wine and simmer unexpectedly to primarily reduce – this chefs out the alcohol and gets rid of the winey flavour, just leaving in the back of tasty flavour which provides a bit something-some thing into the sauce. - Sauce – subsequent, cook dinner off the tomato paste. similar to toasting the herbs, this improves the flavour of tomato paste, taking off the sour facet, intensifying the tomato flavour and sweetening it. excellent Cheffy tip!
- Then we add all the liquids – the tomato passata, water (use it to rinse out the bottle) – salt and pepper for seasoning.
- Simmer – Then stir inside the bird – don’t forget about to feature all the juices pooled within the bowl! Simmer for 5 minutes to bring the flavours collectively – this is when the magic takes place so don’t pass or shortcut this step. I tried – to hurry things up – but the sauce just lacked flavour.
- upload-ins – add the child spinach, tomato, cooked pasta and Bacon in that order, so the heavier upload-ins overwhelm the giant extent of baby spinach.
- Oh! if you recollect, you may preserve back a piece of 1st Baron Beaverbrook for sprinkling on at the give up. but to be honest, I commonly forget.
blend well – supply all of it a great stir to combine all of it together. you did use a large pan, right?? if you didn’t, this is the component wherein you’ll start crying or cursing – been there, finished that! - Baking pan – switch to a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan and stage the surface.
Cheese it! top with mozzarella then parmesan cheese. Doing it in this order gives the floor a cute golden crust way to the parmesan, but it’s not the end of the world if you do it the opposite manner. - Bake for just 25 mins until the cheese is melted with a few lovable golden spots. relaxation for 5 mins, just to permit it settle so the sauce clings to the pasta a chunk better. Then serve!
Complete meal – veg, starch, protein!
It isn’t often i am getting to tell you that a pasta dish is a entire meal, so permit me experience the instant. This one’s were given it all! Starch, protein and lots of vegetables – the tomato passata (yes it’s a vegetable!), chunks of sparkling tomato and a good amount of toddler spinach too.
this means that – in contrast to maximum of my creamy pasta bakes – no need to make a salad for the aspect to round out the meal. usually an advantage with regards to selecting what to make for dinner tonight, proper??
