Baked Chicken Penne Recipe

I have just discovered the greatest new food blog! Well, it's not exactly new, but it's new to me and I am so excited about it. And it probably isn't the "greatest" food blog either, because I have several food blogs I like to frequent, but OUR BEST BITES holds the "greatest new food blog" title at the moment.

I haven't actually tried very many of their recipes (it being "new" and all and we've been busy), but I did manage to make BAKED CHICKEN PENNE on Sunday night. It was delicious and it makes enough to freeze for later. Yay!



My picture isn't great (as usual), but it's here because I took it and pictures make a post more fun to read unless it's a "deep" post, which this is not. I made a few adjustments to the recipe (mostly just used less mushrooms and sundried tomatoes because not everyone loves them around here). Be sure to check out the link for the exact recipe, as I'm posting the adjustments.

Baked Chicken Penne:
6 tablespoons butter
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne
olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded thin
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk
8 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone and mozzarella cheese blend
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400. Grease two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you're going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. Cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until done. Slice thinly. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown and add a little salt. Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I just use the pot I cooked my pasta in), melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste (it ended up being more than I thought). Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. If freezing, place remaining Parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. If cooking, sprinkle on top. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yummy, yummy, yummy. And we ended up having it on two different nights, too. In the coming weeks, I hope to try NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIES, BAKED TAQUITOS, BREAKFAST TAQUITOS, and I'm making BREAKFAST PIZZAS sometime this week. I told you there were several!

What are your favorite cooking blogs? I currently check out ANNIE'S EATS, PIONEER WOMAN ('cause who doesn't?), FINDING JOY IN MY KITCHEN, and EAT AT HOME. There are a few more, but I'm tired of posting links. Because, apparently, I need even more new recipes to try! :)