Creamy Chicken Pasta

Name: Creamy Chicken Pasta
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 6 to 8 people
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts; 1/2 a sweet onion, diced (about 3/4 cup); 3 cloves garlic, minced; 8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced thinly; 4 slices bacon; 1/2 pound (227 g) pasta of your choice (penne works well, but I used campanelle); Olive oil for frying; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons all purpose flour; 1 1/4 cup whole milk; 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (plus additional for serving); Salt and pepper to taste

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

Time for a hearty dinner that the whole family will love! (Well, provided your kids like mushrooms). 🍄 🤷‍♀️
I kept this recipe fairly simple, but it can easily be modified if you like to experiment. Want spicy? Add some crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper! Don’t like mushrooms? Leave them out! Maybe add some spinach instead. You do you!

#GlobalApron Week 7 Milk
#Dinner #Savory #Dairy #Cheesy

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

#GlobalApron Week 7 Milk
#Dinner #Savory #Dairy #Cheesy

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Ingredients

~1 hour total

6 to 8 people

2large chicken breasts
1/2a sweet onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
3 clovesgarlic, minced
8 ounceswhite button mushrooms, sliced thinly
4 slicesbacon
1/2 pound (227 g)pasta of your choice (penne works well, but I used campanelle)
Olive oil for frying
For The Béchamel Sauce:
2 tablespoonsunsalted butter
2 tablespoonsall purpose flour
1 1/4 cupwhole milk
1/4 cupshredded Parmesan cheese (plus additional for serving)
Salt and pepper to taste

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Steps

~1 hour total

1

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and about 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.
2

Cook the bacon, crumble it, and set aside.
3

Dice the onion, slice the mushrooms, and mince the garlic. I used a garlic press today.
4

Sauté the chicken breast in a Tablespoon or two of olive oil until browned and cooked thoroughly. Cook the chicken in batches to avoid crowding the pan and ensure even browning.
Transfer cooked chicken to a bowl or plate while you cook the other ingredients.
5

Sautée the mushrooms in a few teaspoons of olive oil until their liquid has cooked off and they are lightly browned.
Transfer the mushrooms to the same bowl as the chicken.
6

Sauté the diced onion in a few teaspoons of olive oil until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, and sauté for one minute more.
Transfer the onion and garlic to the same bowl as the chicken and mushrooms.
7

Make the sauce:
Warm the milk in a saucepan for a few minutes until it is very slightly bubbling at the edges. Alternatively, you can warm the milk in the microwave. It should be warm to the touch. Set aside temporarily.
8

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour and whisk constantly over low heat for approximately two minutes. Do not allow the mixture to brown.
9

Add about a quarter of the warm milk to the pot and whisk vigorously until smooth. Slowly add the remaining milk, whisking constantly over low heat until it is smooth.
10

Continue cooking over low heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Do not stop whisking during this process! Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow the sauce to cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer.
It should thicken and coat the back of a spoon. If you drag your finger through the sauce on the spoon, it should leave a distinct trail as shown in the photo.
11

Add the Parmesan cheese and whisk again to fully incorporate.
Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
12

Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture and stir well to fully coat everything.
13

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. I used campanelle pasta because I thought it was cute! ☺️
Drain the pasta, and add it to the chicken mixture. Stir well until everything is evenly coated.
14

Serve topped with fresh parsley and additional cheese.
15

Notes:
⭐️ If you are short on time and can’t get everything done in one day, you can break up the work. The sautéed mushrooms, the cooked bacon and the béchamel sauce can be made and stored in the fridge until you complete the recipe the following day.