Friday, January 03, 2025

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake with Buttered Bread Crumb Topping

  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

I cook so much that I dream of cooking.  And sometimes I wake up and know exactly what I want to create the next day.  I create the way I think I personally would like a dish to taste.  This time I wanted creamy and savory and cheesy… gotta have cheese…and lots of it. And different kinds to give it a unique flavor. That would work, but I needed a protein of some sort and decided that left over chicken breast I had in the fridge would be perfect. But wait, I had to have the right texture and so I added pasta to the mix. Then one last thing...a crunchy topping. So I added some buttered bread cubes and Voila!  It was exactly like I dreamed it would be.  PERFECT and OMG so delicious.  Just made it up today so I don’t even know what to call it.

 

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake with Buttered Bread Crumb Topping

 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon butter

1 or 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pan fried

4 slices bacon, fried crispy and diced

1-16 ounce box of Cavatappi or any pasta you like

 

Boil your pasta in salted water as directed on package. Cook to al dente and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.  Add pasta back to pot with no heat and set aside.

 Season your chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Add oil and butter to a medium skillet and pan fry the chicken on medium high heat until golden brown and cooked through.  Temp should be 160 degrees when done. Remove from skillet and cut into bite sized pieces.  Transfer to plate and set aside. 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sauce

 

3 cups heavy cream, at room temperature 

2 tablespoons grated onion 

2 teaspoons grated garlic 

Pinch fresh or dried nutmeg 

8 ounces smoked Gouda, shredded 

8 ounces Gruyère, shredded 

2 ounces of Parmesan, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound Pasta (I like Cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente) 

1/4 cup pasta water reserved 

 

In a large skillet, add 3 cups of heavy cream. Turn the heat low and allow to simmer.  Add the grated onion, and the grated garlic and stir to combine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle some nutmeg into the sauce and stir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 Add the 8 ounces of grated Gouda and Gruyere cheese and 2 ounces of Parmesan and stir the sauce until cheese has melted.  Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved pasta water. Taste and season with salt and pepper.  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Add the chicken and bacon and stir to combine.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Pour the pasta and sauce into the dish. Pan will be full.  Set aside.

 

Topping 

2 ounces Parmesan, grated or shredded

2 ounces of Gruyere Cheese, shredded

8 slices of bread, cut into cubes

1 stick of butter or more as needed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining Gruyere and Parmesan. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the casserole.  Put a baking sheet under the skillet to catch any spill overs.  There will be some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


In a large skillet add the stick of butter over low heat. Toss the bread cubes with the butter until all bread is coated. Arrange bread cubes on top of casserole.


 

Bake uncovered until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Bread cube topping should be golden brown.  


 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 


Carefully remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

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