Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pasta Bake
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Flavorful, golden, and bubbly my Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pasta Bake combines a classic appetizer combo and transforms it into a dinner time delight!
While I don’t make many casseroles because my boys don’t really like them (kids!), sometimes I do like the convenience of a casserole. One of my favorite casseroles is Mac ‘n Cheese. I’ve made these Mac ‘n Cheese recipes: Crawfish Mac & Cheese, Gnocchi Mac & Cheese, Quinoa Mac & Cheese and Muenster Mac & Cheese to name a few. It’s the creamy sauce that I like. I also like dips for the same reason. Wesley (Big Daddy) and I order the Spinach Artichoke Dip every time we eat at a restaurant. Big Daddy isn’t much of a ‘dip’ guy, but he does love Spinach Artichoke Dip. It came to me one day to combine one of Big Daddy’s favorite dips with the creamy pasta that I love. That’s how this Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pasta recipe was born!
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pasta Bake
One bite and Wesley said, “This is the best pasta dish you’ve ever made.” The reason he liked it so much he said was that I “didn’t overdo it on the cream sauce.” Had I been making it just for me, I would have loaded it up with cream sauce and cheese and not much else! He also explained that he enjoyed the slight tang of the marinated artichokes and added the spinach “gives it just enough ‘earthiness’ without overpowering the dish.”
Most baked pasta recipes call for boiled chicken. I wanted to add the most flavor to every component of the recipe therefore, I pan sautéed the chicken in a little oil with a sprinkling of salt and pepper to season it. I was careful not to over-cook and dry out the chicken. Even though there are a lot of steps in this recipe, cooking the pasta, cooking the chicken, and making the cheese sauce, I timed myself and it still came together right at 30 minutes. I used chicken tenders so they would cook faster. You could also cube chicken breast for quick cooking too.
Once all these separate components are ready, you simply mix everything together and bake until bubbly and golden.
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pasta Bake
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Ingredients
- 2 medium chicken breasts cut into chunks or 5 or 6 chicken tenders
- 2 Tablespoons oil for frying
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 ounces frozen chopped spinach drained well
- 6 oz jar marinated artichoke heart drained and chopped
- 8 ounces pasta I used farfalle, or bowtie, but any shape will work
- 4 ounces diced pimientos drained, optional
Bechamel Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 4 Tablespoons self-rising flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups grated cheese cheddar, Havarti, or muenster would be good
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions to al dente stage. Drain.
- Heat a saute' pan or skillet to medium-high. After the skillet is hot add 2 Tablespoons of oil. While oil is getting hot, salt and pepper chicken. Add chicken to the hot pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high heat. Turn and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Cook time will depend on how hot your pan is. You can cut chicken open to test for doneness. Remove from pan when they're cooked.
- Cook Bechamel Sauce. Heat a large pot on medium. (You can use the same pot you boiled the pasta in.) Melt butter in a hot pan, but don't let the butter brown. Add flour and whisk. Cook flour for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and continue whisking to remove any lumps. Cook until sauce thickens for 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup cheese and stir until cheese is melted.
- Combine pasta, chicken, artichokes, spinach (squeeze excess liquid out with a paper towel then pull it apart into small pieces), and pimientos in a large bowl.
- Pour sauce over pasta mixture and gently stir. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Top mixture with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- At this point, you can refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours and cook later.
- When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook uncovered 25 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned.
- Cover and refrigerate any leftovers up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
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Delicious! Our whole family has enjoyed this meal!
I just made this for my family last night, and they LOVED IT! Super hit! Thank you so much for sharing. This dish will definitely be a repeat!
I made this and it was incredible. I forgot to get pimentos so I used sun dried tomatoes instead. I used a combination on fontina & provolone cheeses.
Yum, I love sun dried tomatoes!