Pesto Chicken Bake
Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225g) pasta, I used fusilli
- 1 lb (450g) broccoli
- 3 chicken breasts medium/large breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 cup basil pesto 8oz/230g
- 1/2 cup milk 120ml
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 120ml
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 9 oz (250g) shredded mozzarella cheese this is about 2 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta and broccoli: divide the broccoli into small florets. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than it says on the package and the broccoli for 2 minutes. So, my pasta takes 10 minutes to cook so I cooked it for 8 minutes and after 6 minutes of cooking time, I've added the broccoli (to the same pot) and cook them together for 2 more minutes. Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to a 9x13 inch (23×33 cm) oval casserole dish.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/Gas Mark 5 (if you have a convection oven reduce the temperature by about 20° or follow the manufacturer's instructions).
- Prepare the chicken: cut the chicken into 1-inch (2-3 cm) cubes. Mix the olive oil with the spices, add to the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add the chicken to the casserole dish (chicken doesn't have to be cooked).
- Make the pesto cream sauce: whisk the flour with milk until combined then whisk in the cream and pesto. Season the sauce lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sauce to the casserole dish.
- Assemble: Stir everything together. Top with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, the cheese golden and the sauce bubbly.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This casserole reheats and freezes very well.
- Instead of broccoli, you can also add other vegetables to this casserole, like zucchini, peas, green beans, or corn.
- You can use any pesto type that you like, it doesn't have to be basil pesto.
- You could also add more cheese to the casserole (not only on top) to make it more cheesy. Since the cheese is being baked the whole time with the other ingredients uncovered it will be rather chewy (this is what I prefer). If you would like softer cheese, cover the casserole dish with a piece of aluminum foil and place the casserole under the broiler at the end of the baking time to brown the cheese.
- Make sure to check if the chicken is cooked through - just cut some pieces in half to see if they are white and not light pink in the middle. If the chicken is not ready you can cover the casserole and bake it for 5 more minutes.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/5 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Nutrition
Calories: 686kcal