Thursday, May 7, 2009

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes

I've got nothing. Seriously nothing. I've been staring at the computer screen trying to think of something to say and I'm coming up blank. So all I've got for you is a fantastic recipe! :)


This meal is fantastically delicious! How can you go wrong with penne, a creamy cheese sauce, chicken, and sun dried tomatoes? The best part about this meal, though, is that it can be frozen. I split this meal into 3 8" pans. I baked one, froze another, and gave the last one to a friend. The frozen ones tasted exactly the same as the one I baked fresh, so that is even better. I loved this meal!

Enjoy!


Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Everyday Food April 2009


6 TBSP butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
1 pound penne rigate
1 tsp olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 oz each), halved horizontally
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP flour
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole milk
10 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter the two shallow 2 qt baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain and return to pot.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lenghtwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
3. In a 5 qt Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and garlic, cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes, cook 1 minute more. Remove pot from heat and stir in provolone and 1/2 cup parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup parmesan.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
TO FREEZE: Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months.
TO BAKE FROM FROZEN: Preheat oven to 400 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.

10 comments:

The McBride Family said...

I am so glad you posted this recipe so I can make it again soon!! :) It was so awesome THANKS for sharing!!

Katy ~ said...

Christine, what a find! This sounds like a goldmine. I absolutely love all the ingredients in this. The more I read the recipe the more I wanted a big PLATTER of it! Oh, boy.

We'll be having this really soon. I can't wait!

The Grows said...

This looks so good. I will have to make it soon. Plus, I love the fact that it makes two so you can freeze one.

teresa said...

Fantastic! I bet this so is good!

Anonymous said...

Yum! Looks delicious. I have some sundried tomatoes sitting in my refrigerator.

Megan said...

I only wish it was me you were giving the pan to!

I know what you mean about not having anything to say. Some days the words just aren't there!

Shelby said...

Its ok when you have nothing...I've been there too...just today as a matter of fact. ;o)

Your chicken meal looks delicious and I love that it works to freeze it!

Bunny said...

It looks and sounds fantastic Cristine, and I love that it freezes well!

Pamela said...

I love sun dried tomatoes! And I love that you can freeze it and it will still be yummy! Thanks for this one.

J.L. Danger said...

This was something! More than something! It looks good too! I love SDTs so this is perfect! Two awesome chicken recipes at once! perfect!

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