
Chicken in White Sauce Pasta
Course: MainsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium4
servings10
minutes30
minutesThis creamy pasta dish is full of flavour and comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight meal.
Ingredients
A single Chicken breast fillet, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup green capsicum, diced
1 cup of broccoli florets
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Chilli flakes, to taste
1/2 – 1 tsp Mixed herbs, or to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp vegetable stock / water
Pasta (enough for 4 servings)
A little parsley, to garnish
A little Parmesan cheese, grated
-
For the white sauce – 1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Salt, to taste
Directions
- Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions. I bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook till done. Drain and reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
- While the pasta is cooking, season the chicken with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Mix well.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add the chicken and cook through, stirring occasionally, till the chicken has cooked through. Remove the chicken in a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and quickly add the garlic.
Stir through and immediately add the green capsicum. Still through and let the capsicum cook for about a minute. - Next add the broccoli and saute well. (See note*)
- Add the corn and stir through.
- Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes and mixed herbs, to taste.
- Add 1-2 tbsp vegetable stock (you can also use water), stir well, cover and let the veggies steam and cook for a minute or two or till they are done to your liking. (If you are adding cooked broccoli to the pan, you can leave this step out. )
- Add the cooked chicken to the pan and stir through. Set aside and cook your white sauce.
- To cook the White Sauce / Bechamel Sauce –
- Add a tsp of olive oil to the pan on medium heat.
- Add the butter and let it melt.
- Add the flour and stir briskly, making sure the flour incorporates well with the butter and oil and that no lumps are left.
- Cook this roux off for about 30 seconds to a minute or till the raw smell of the flour has gone. (Do not let it develop any colour.)
- Add half the milk to the pan and stir through well, making sure no lumps remain.
- Add the remaining milk and whisk well.
- Cook the sauce till it has thickened to your liking, whisking well.
- When the sauce is done, lightly season with a little salt.
- To assemble the pasta –
- Add the white sauce to the chicken and veggies in the pan. Stir well. Add the cheese and mix through.
- Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust, if needed.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir through.
Serve your pasta in some serving plates. Finish with a light sprinkling of parsley and a grating of parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Our broccoli is fairly tender and cooks very quickly. If your broccoli takes longer to cook, blanch or steam it before adding to the pan.
- For detailed instructions on how to make a great white sauce, check the recipe video.