Nutritious Chicken Alfredo Bake (Printable Version)
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 -
1 pound brown rice pasta (like spirals, tubes, short pipes, or twists)
→ Sauce
02 -
2 tablespoons plain butter
03 -
6 garlic cloves, chopped fine (around 2 tablespoons)
04 -
¼ cup regular flour
05 -
2 ¾ cups milk (skim, half-fat, or full-fat)
06 -
1 (14-ounce) can reduced-salt chicken stock (or 1 ¾ cups)
07 -
1 ½ teaspoons mixed Italian herbs (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves and 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves)
08 -
1 teaspoon powdered onion
09 -
¾ teaspoon sea salt
10 -
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
11 -
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
→ Cheeses
12 -
1 cup freshly grated hard Italian cheese (split in half)
13 -
1 cup torn stretchy cheese or mild white cheese (split, about 4 ounces)
→ Additional Ingredients
14 -
½ cup reduced-fat plain tangy yogurt (half-fat works best)
15 -
3 ½ cups torn cooked chicken pieces (roughly 3 medium chicken breasts)
16 -
Fresh cut parsley leaves for topping
# Steps to Follow:
01 -
Warm up the oven to 375°F. Spray a big, 9x13-inch baking tray with cooking spray.
02 -
Get pasta just tender by following box directions. Shake well in strainer and put back in cooking pot.
03 -
Melt butter in a wide pan on medium fire. Dump in flour and mix non-stop for 1 minute. Toss in garlic and stir for 30 seconds, till you smell it.
04 -
Turn heat down low. Slowly pour in milk and chicken stock, stirring to avoid clumps. Add Italian herbs, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and chili flakes. Let it bubble gently, stirring often, until it gets a bit thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Take off heat.
05 -
Stir ½ cup hard cheese into your sauce. Let cool briefly (1 minute), then mix in tangy yogurt.
06 -
Drop the chicken and sauce into the pasta pot. Mix until everything's coated.
07 -
Put half your pasta mix into the greased dish. Cover with ½ cup stretchy cheese. Add remaining pasta evenly, then sprinkle leftover ½ cup hard cheese and ½ cup stretchy cheese on top.
08 -
Pop in oven for 15-20 minutes, until it's hot and bubbly with melted golden cheese. Let sit 5 minutes before dishing up.
# Additional Tips:
01 -
Don't overcook your pasta or bake too long or you'll end up with soggy noodles.