Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe

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1. BushyEyes March 3, 2022

   Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe

   This creamy chicken pasta recipe is a rich, comforting creamy chicken pasta with vegetables like Brussels sprouts and roasted red bell peppers.

   This creamy chicken pasta recipe can be made in a few different ways:

   * Raw split chicken breasts that you turn into a homemade chicken stock
   * Leftover shredded chicken from a homemade or store-bought roasted chicken
   * Raw, boneless chicken that you simply chop up and sauté until cooked through before starting the sauce

   For the recipe below, I used raw split chicken breasts that I turned into very simple chicken stock. However, this does add more time to the recipe. If you’re in a pinch and you have leftover shredded chicken already, you can skip the steps for making the stock and move right into the sauce preparation.

   **What you need:**

   For this recipe, you’ll primarily need chicken, pasta, vegetables, and heavy cream. Take a look at some of my substitution suggestions so you can modify this dish any way you like:

   * **Chicken:** Omit for vegetarian. You could also use shrimp but you would skip baking the dish to avoid overcooking them.
   * **Brussels sprouts:** Use your favorite vegetables in this meal! Try it with zucchini, broccoli or broccolini, cauliflower florets, eggplant, or use spinach.
   * **Roasted red bell peppers:** Chopped sun-dried tomatoes

   Prep Time: 15 minutes

   Cook Time: 30 minutes

   Inactive Time: 1 hour

   Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

   Servings: 6

   Calories: 762kcal

   ### Equipment

   * Large pot
   * Baking sheet
   * Wide ovenproof pot
   * Sieve
   * Tongs

   ### Ingredients

   #### Chicken stock (optional):

   * 1 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
   * 1 yellow onion quartered, paper left on
   * 1 head of garlic halved, paper left on
   * Salt and pepper to taste

   #### Creamy chicken pasta:

   * 16 ounces pasta of your choice like strozzapreti, rigatoni, penne, rotini, or fusilli
   * 2 tablespoons neutral oil
   * 2 red bell peppers trimmed, seeded, and quartered
   * 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
   * 1 pound Brussels sprouts halved
   * 4 tablespoons butter
   * 1 teaspoon dry thyme
   * ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper plus more if desired
   * ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
   * 1½ cups homemade chicken stock from above or use store-bought stock
   * 1 cup heavy cream
   * 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
   * Salt and pepper to taste
   * Freshly minced parsley optional, for garnish

   ### Instructions

   #### Prepare the stock:

   * Cover split chicken breasts with water and season liberally with salt. Add the quartered onion and halved head of garlic. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Skim off the foam that floats to the top as the chicken cooks.
   * Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a plate and let it cool. Bring the stock back to a boil and boil for 15 minutes until significantly reduced. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl and set aside. You will need 1½ cups stock for the recipe, and any extra stock can be saved for another use.
   * Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers, two forks, or dice it up. Discard the skin and bones.
   * Wipe out the pot used for the stock and fill it back up with salted water and return it to the stovetop. You’ll use it for the pasta later on.

   #### Broil the red bell peppers:

   * While the stock cooks, prepare the red bell peppers. Arrange the prepared peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Place under a broiler and cook for 7–8 minutes until blackened all over. Keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn to a crisp!
   * Immediately transfer the peppers to a Tupperware dish with a lid or a gallon freezer bag. The trapped steam will help the skins come off easily. Peel the peppers and roughly chop and set aside.
   * Turn the broiler off and turn the oven’s heat to 400ºF.

   #### Cook the pasta:

   * Bring the pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until 2 minutes under al dente. Drain and set aside.

   #### Cook the vegetables:

   * In a wide, oven-proof pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until softened–about 7–10 minutes–and then turn the heat to high. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 6 minutes until well-charred. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

   #### Prepare the sauce:

   * Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Once bubbly, add dry thyme and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add flour to the butter and cook for 2–3 minutes until lightly golden. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken stock. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat and continue whisking until completely smooth.
   * Stir in the heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and more crushed red pepper if you like. Turn off the heat.

   #### Bake the pasta:

   * To the sauce, add the cooked chicken, cooked pasta, and the reserved vegetables and toss to coat and evenly distribute the ingredients. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top and transfer to the oven for 10–15 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts are fork-tender and the cheese is melted. If you like, broil for 2–3 minutes to char the top of the pasta.

   #### To serve:

   * Garnish the pasta with fresh minced parsley and serve immediately. Enjoy!

   ### Nutrition

   Calories: 762kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 938mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2831IU | Vitamin C: 119mg | Calcium: 290mg | Iron: 3mg

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