13 January 2024 , 10:33
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Pasta bake is the perfect winter dish for those cold frosty evenings - and Mary Berry has a chicken pasta bake recipe that the whole family will love.
Dame Mary Berry is one of the UK's most beloved bakers and food writers and during her six decade long career has shared a vast array of recipes - both sweet and savoury - which are enjoyed by many. Dame Mary's chicken pasta bake recipe on BBC Good Food is one of the nation's favourites with more than 130 four-star ratings.
Serving from six to eight people, the recipe is a concoction of cream, cheese and carbs which is why it has been described as "wonderfully comforting" in the recipe notes.
Alongside this, the dish is also convenient as it can be made ahead of time and can be frozen for up to three months so it is "perfect" for those with a busy family life.
Mary Berry's Chicken Pasta Bake recipe
Ingredients:
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- Butter, for greasing
- 250g penne pasta
- One onion
- Three skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- One tablespoon of paprika
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 50g butter
- 50g plain flour
- 750ml hot milk
- One teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- 100g Parmesan cheese
- Two large tomatoes deseeded and cut into small cubes
Method:
To make your chicken pasta bake, you start by preheating the oven to 220C - or 200C Fan - and butter a shallow 1.75 litre ovenproof dish. You should roughly chop your onion and cook it with the penne pasta in boiling water until fully cooked. Then drain the pasta and onion through a colander and leave to the side to cool.
You then need to cut the boneless chicken into strips and put them in a resealable freezer bag with the paprika and a little salt and pepper. You should seal the bag before shaking it to coat it. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and quickly fry the chicken over high heat for two minutes until just cooked through. Then transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Whilst the chicken is resting, you then can start making the sauce. You first have to melt butter into a saucepan on a low heat, slowly adding the flour and whisking together to form a roux.
Cook the roux for one minute before gradually adding in the hot milk. Boil the roux together for four minutes before stirring in the mustard and half the cheese, salt and pepper. You then add the pasta and onion into the sauce and stir together. Spoon in half of the pasta mixture into the dish and arrange the cooked chicken strips over the top. Then spoon the remaining pasta on top and add further sauce on top of the chicken.
Roughly chop the tomatoes into small cubes scatter them over the top of the dish and top it off with the remaining cheese. Put the tray into the oven and cook for around 20 minutes. Remove from the oven when the bake has a golden brown top and is piping hot.