Tuesday, September 18

Tasty Tuesday: White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

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I have made some super fabulous food lately. Can I just say that? Some people hate Pinterest, but I am not one of them, and I find some of my new favorite recipes from there. This is one of them. *Another is pumpkin waffles with apple cider syrup, which I will be sharing next week. This is the perfect mix of pasta, chicken and cheese, and has overwhelmingly good flavors from the herbs, especially if you were to use fresh ones, which I did not have the luxury of doing this time.

Kelly does not like pasta unless it is "saucy," and I really just like it with butter, fresh garlic and olives. So basically, I never make pasta anymore. He will complain about it if I do and ends up eating oatmeal or  a peanut butter and honey 'quesadilla', his two favorite meals of choice that I will never understand, instead. But when I found this recipe I knew it could be the perfect compromise for us.
And guess what?
It was.


White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

For the chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp dry mustard (I didn't have this, and it was still great. Probably awesome with it though)
1 T fresh thyme (mine wasn't fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T olive oil

-Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
-Mix together mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and sprinkle over chicken pieces. 
-When pan is hot, add chicken and brown about 3 minutes per side until cooked through.    -Remove to a plate and cover with foil.

For the pasta:
1 pound rotini or other short cut pasta
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a tsp white wine vinegar in a fourth cup water)
1 T Dijon mustard (I didn't have this on hand either)
8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (I just snooped out the specialty cheese section and picked a white cheddar that looked particulary good)
2 cups milk (I used soy milk and it still worked great)
1 T fresh thyme
1 T fresh oregano
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I used ground red pepper)
Parmesan cheese to taste

-Heat water to boil in a large stock pot for pasta, add salt and pasta and cook to al dente and drain according to directions. 
-Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine. Add wine, garlic, onions, and mustard. Cook about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. 
-Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk, stirring to combine. Cook about 5-7 minutes more until mixture begins to thicken. Add cheese and stir to melt. 
-Add chicken and pasta and toss to incorporate sauce. Add thyme and oregano and serve topped with crushed red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.




3 comments:

  1. In my defense, dry pasta can get stuck in my throat. Also isn't the best pasta in the world (Fettuccine Alfredo) covered in suace?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Especially with MY Alfredo recipe! Makes me wish I could eat pasta again!? Sounds and looks delish. Thanks for looking after the gang up there. Your should send a photo of all of you to the campus newspaper. I bet they would intview you.

    ReplyDelete

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