BAKED PENNE WITH CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, AND MUSHROOMS

Source

actually from the cover & bake book

Ingredients

Display units in Metric

		Topping
		4slices white sandwich bread torn into quarters
		2tablespoons unsalted butter melted
		Filling
		Salt
		1bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds) stalks discarded, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
3		/4pound penne pasta
		3tablespoons olive oil
1		1/4pounds cremini mushrooms stems trimmed, brushed clean, and sliced thin
1	medium	onion minced
8	medium	garlic cloves minced or pressed through a garlic press
		1tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1		/4cup all-purpose flour
		1cup white wine
1		/4ounce dried porcini mushrooms rinsed and re-hydrated, with soaking liquid reserved (see illustrations below)
		2cups low-sodium chicken broth
		1cup heavy cream
1		1/2pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and prepared according to illustrations below
		2ounces Asiago cheese shredded (about 1 cup)
1		/4teaspoon ground black pepper

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Process the bread and butter in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely ground, about six 1-second pulses; set aside.

2. FOR THE FILLING: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the broccoli; cook until bright green, about 1 minute. Remove the broccoli using a slotted spoon or wire spider and spread it out on a baking sheet to cool. Return the water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil; leave it in the colander and set aside.

3. Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the cremini and ¾ teaspoon salt; cook until the mushrooms have released their juices and are brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the wine and the dried porcini with their reserved liquid; cook until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the Asiago and pepper.

4. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size) and sprinkle with the bread-crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Process the bread and butter in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely ground, about six 1-second pulses; set aside.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the broccoli; cook until bright green, about 1 minute. Remove the broccoli using a slotted spoon or wire spider and spread it out on a baking sheet to cool. Return the water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil; leave it in the colander and set aside.
3. Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the cremini and ¾ teaspoon salt; cook until the mushrooms have released their juices and are brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the wine and the dried porcini with their reserved liquid; cook until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the Asiago and pepper.
4. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size) and sprinkle with the bread-crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Comments & Personal Notes

For a baked pasta and chicken recipe with a light sauce, moist chicken, and vibrant green broccoli, we began with the sauce, replacing some of the cream that we saw in many recipes with chicken broth and white wine, and thickening the sauce with a little flour. We settled on poaching the chicken right in the sauce, which produced chicken that remained tender and juicy without losing any flavor. To prepare the broccoli for our baked pasta and chicken recipe, we found that one minute in the boiling pasta water was all it took to take the raw edge off the broccoli and turn it bright green.

Comment from mrshalf — posted almost 11 years ago

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