Like chicken? Like cheese? Like pasta? If the answer is ‘yes’, then you’ll want to try my Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake. Even if you don’t enjoy eating pasta, this is one recipe you want to try out; combining the pasta with chicken and then covering with a thick cheese sauce means that what you end up with is more akin to a lasagne than a spag bol. Another crowd pleasing recipe taught to me by my younger sister, all credit goes to my baby sis, thanks Sab! It’s filling, tasty and goes down well with ALL of my family. My children adore this Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake and will always go for seconds which is the reason why this is made in a tray!

Before owning a pressure cooker cooking the chicken for this recipe used to take me about 25 – 30 minutes, since owning my pressure cooker I’ve cut down on the time it takes for me to cook the chicken (takes me about 15 minutes now), so use a pressure cooker if possible. The amounts in this recipe make a whole tray of pasta bake, if you want less adjust the quantities accordingly or cook using the amounts shown here and freeze some to save you cooking again. If you wanted to make this healthier you could always throw in some finely chopped vegetables too and the kids would be none the wiser, if you’re really crafty blend the vegetables with some water before adding, lol! This is great for gatherings and family get togethers, make it in a large tray and let everyone help themselves. I hope you all enjoy cooking this dish, it’s perfect comfort food for this time of year!

Serves 6 – 9

Prep time: 40 – 60 minutes (40 mins if you’re using a pressure cooker)
Cook time: 30 minutes

You will need:

800g chicken (you can use boneless chicken or boned, the chicken has to be shredded by hand anyway so it doesn’t matter if you use boned as the bones can be removed in the shredding process)
300g pasta (penne or fusilli are ideal for this dish)
3 medium onions
4 – 5 cloves of garlic
oil
1/2 tsp salt (adjust if necessary)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 oxo cubes (I normally use the vegetarian ones in the green box, however I’ve used an Aldi brand in this recipe)
450ml boiling water (for making stock)
2 tbsp tomato puree

For the cheese sauce:

50g butter
4 tbsp flour
1 pint of milk
180g cheese (I normally use just mature cheddar but was running low, so added some Red Leicester too)

Method:

Start by washing and draining the chicken pieces.

In a medium sized pan bring to boil a pan of cold salted water (add 1 tsp of sat as shown), this will be used for boiling the pasta.

While the water comes to a boil, peel and chop 3 medium onions and crush 5 cloves of garlic.

Pour some oil into a saucepan/pressure cooker if you have one; using a pressure cooker cuts down the cooking time by half. You need just 15 minutes in a pressure cooker as compared to 30 minutes in a standard saucepan.

Once the oil is hot add the 3 chopped onions….

….5 crushed cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder and the drained chicken pieces. Mix to combine, keep the heat on low while you add the remaining ingredients.

Next add 2 tbsp of tomato puree to the saucepan.

In a jug make up some stock using two vegetarian Oxo cubes (or own brand stock cubes) and 450ml of boiling hot water. Stir thoroughly to dissolve the stock cubes.

Add the stock to the saucepan and stir to combine.

Next place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock using the switch and turn the heat up to full. Allow this to cook for 15 minutes (25 – 30 minutes if you’re using a normal saucepan) while you prepare the pasta and cheese sauce.

Measure 300g of pasta….

….and add this to the pan of boiling salted water you placed on the stove before starting, don’t forget to add a splash of oil to help keep the pasta separated. Boil for as long as recommended on the packet. Drain the pasta in a colander after the recommended time and run under cold water to prevent the pasta from clumping together.

To make the cheese sauce, in a separate medium sized pan add 50g of butter, once melted add 4 tbsp of plain flour….

….stir and fry the flour in the butter for a few minutes to remove the raw taste of the flour. This mixture of flour and butter is called a roux.

Measure 1 pint of full fat milk and keeping the heat on medium, add a little at a time to the roux and stir to help the roux absorb the milk. NEVER add all of the milk in one go as you will end up with a lumpy white sauce!

Continue adding a little milk at a time until you have used up all of the milk, each time ensuring the milk is fully absorbed and there are no lumps before adding more milk. You should end up with a pan of creamy white sauce.

Measure 180g of mature cheddar (mature cheddar has a stronger flavour than mild so is preferable for this recipe but I was running low so used some Red Leicester to compensate), cut into small cubes/grate and add to the white sauce. Cook over a low – medium flame until the cheese has fully melted, stirring as you do so.

Once the cheese has melted and is fully combined, cover the saucepan with a lid to prevent a skin forming until the cheese sauce is needed.

At this point you want to pre-heat your oven to gas mark 6.

Your chicken should be cooked by now if you are using a pressure cooker, if you are using a standard pot you may need 10 – 15 extra minutes. Uncover the pressure cooker releasing any pressure before removing the lid (read your manufacturer’s instructions for guidance on how to do this). Using a slotted spoon remove the chicken pieces….

….and place on a baking tray/large dish (the one you plan to use for the finished dish), allow the chicken pieces to cool before using your hands to shred them. It helps to cut the chicken pieces up to speed up this process. Remove any bones in the process and discard.

Don’t wash the baking tray as we will be using it again.

Take all of the shredded chicken and place it back into the saucepan it was extracted from. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine everything with the sauce.

Place the chicken pasta filling in the baking tray you used to shred the chicken and level out.

Take the cheese sauce and using a spoon, pour over the chicken pasta ensuring everything is coated.

Bake the Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake for 25 – 30 minutes in your preheated oven on gas mark 6, until brown and bubbly on top. If you’re rushed for time you can simply grill the pasta bake for 15 minutes (the filling is already cooked), but it tastes better when it has been baked in the oven.

Serve the Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake with sides of salad and coleslaw, or chips if you want to stay glued to the sofa after dinner!

Bon Appetit!

If you like the recipe please share with friends and family, also follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Questions? Leave a comment below or message me on Facebook.