This an excellent make ahead meal that makes eight servings total. The recipe will be split between two dishes; one for tonight and one to freeze and bake straight from the freezer! When making a new recipe, I make sure I have all the ingredients ready to go, especially when there’s whisking over hot heat involved!
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
coarse salt & pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skiness chicken breast halves (8 oz each)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
4 garlic cloves, minced
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed & thinkly sliced (I did not include, because I do not like!)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
6 ounces shredded provolone (I used mozarella because that is what I had)
4 ounces finely grated Parmesan
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and return to pot.
3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes per side. Halve and then slice each chicken.
4. In a 5-quart dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook whisking 1 minute.
5. While whisking gradually add milk; bring to a simmer whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
6. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt & pepper. Divide pasta mixture between each baking dish and sprinkle each with 1/2 cup Parmesan.
7. Bake uncovered until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
to freeze Prepare up to step 7; let cool. Cover tightly with foil and freeze, up to 3 months.
to bake from frozen Preheat over to 400 degrees and bake still covered in foil on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.
I have not eaten the second dish but I plan to pull it out in the morning, place it in the fridge to begin defrosting it so I do not hae to bake it as long.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! This sounds great! I’m going to try it. Thank you!
Gayle’s last blog post..Paw
Thanks for posting this! I can’t wait to try it!!
I’ve been searching all morning for this recipe. My friend brought me dinner last night (this recipe) and my teenagers loved it–they even ate the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. There wasn’t any leftover for me to have lunch. I will be making a few batches for my freezer this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.