What's a Good Recipe For a Pasta Bake With Chicken?

I'm looking to make a pasta bake tonight, but I can't find any recipes for a basic pasta pake with strips of chicken in it. I have no idea how to prepare such a dish, I just want something simple with ziti or penne pasta, cheese, sauce, and chicken. Can anyone help?





*I'm also willing to substitute the chicken strips (by strips I mean really small pieces) with ground beef.. I just don't want to overcook anything!What's a Good Recipe For a Pasta Bake With Chicken?
check out www.recipezaar.com. They've got all types of recipes for everything.What's a Good Recipe For a Pasta Bake With Chicken?
salt


pepper


1 tablespoon olive oil


1 medium red onion, chopped


4 garlic cloves, minced


1/4 cup vodka (optional)


1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands


1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


1/2 cup heavy cream


1 lb rigatoni pasta


10 ounces baby spinach


12 ounces smoked chicken sausages, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick


6 ounces Fontina cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated


1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese





1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Remove from heat; add vodka, if desired. Return to heat; cook until almost evaporated, 1 minute.


2. Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.


3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400掳. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.


4. Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between two shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dishes.


5. Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.


6. Note: If you freeze this dish, do not thaw before baking. Remove plastic wrap, and cover with foil. Cook until heated through, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Remove foil, and continue with step 5.
INGREDIENTS


6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves ( or tenderloins (strips))


1/4 cup butter


1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix


1/2 cup white wine


1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup


4 ounces cream cheese with chives


1 pound angel hair pasta











DIRECTIONS


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).


In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.


Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.
I would definitely go to www.foodnetwork.com and search for chicken /pasta recipes. There you'll get a wide range of recipe ideas.
I like the recipe on the back of a can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup! Mm-Mmm good!


Another option, whip up an easy mac and cheese recipe using whatever type of pasta you have laying around, but maybe jazz it up a little with some seasoning (I'd try a dash of garlic powder, and some fresh ground black pepper, for sure). Stir in a can of peas, then stir in your cooked chicken, or put the pasta in a greased casserole dish, and layer the chicken on top. Liberally sprinkle grated cheese over the top, then bake at 325 until bubbly and starting to brown, probably around a half hour (start checking after 15 minutes).


The thing is, there are no hard and fast rules about cooking. If it's done but not burnt or totally dried out, and the flavors go together, that's all that's necessary! Most of my best recipes I conjured out of my own head, based on what I had on hand at the time!


As you gain experience and confidence, you'll get a feel for what works. That's why our grandmas never measured anything. They just knew how much to add!


If you want to explore, you can Google chicken and pasta recipes, and you'll have about a million to choose from. I like Kraft foods web-site for recipes. All the recipes call for Kraft products, of course, but any ol' brand will do! Good luck, and happy cooking!