Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pasta Bake

By á-3013

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (or 5 or 6 chicken tenders)
• 2 T vegetable oil for cooking chicken
• salt and pepper for chicken - I used about 1/2 tsp each
• 1/2 of a 9 oz box of frozen chopped spinach, drained well (squeeze excess liquid out with a paper towel)
• 1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoked hearts, drained and chopped
• 8 oz pasta (I used farfalle, or bowtie, but any shape will work)
• 4 oz jar diced pimientos, drained (optional) If you're not a huge fan of pimentios omit or add just 1 or 2 Tablespoons of them
• Bechamel Sauce
• (I doubled the above recipe for Bechamel for this recipe, the amounts I used for this recipe is listed below. For detailed cooking instructions on Bechamel read the above link)
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons self-rising flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated cheese, seperated (I used Cracker Barrel white cheddar. A havarti or muenster would also be good in this recipe.)

Preparation

Step 1

In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions to al dente stage. Drain.

Heat a saute' pan or skillet to medium high. After skillet is hot add 2 Tablespoons of oil. While oil is getting hot, salt and pepper chicken. Add chicken to hot pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high heat. Turn and cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Cook time will depend on how hot your pan is. You can cut chicken open to test for doneness. Remove from pan when they're cooked.

Cook Bechamel Sauce. Heat a large pot on medium. (You can use the same pot you boiled the pasta in.) Melt butter in hot pan, but don't let the butter brown. Add flour and whisk. Cook flour 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and continue whisking to remove any lumps. Cook until sauce thickens 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

Combine pasta, chicken, artichokes, spinach (pull it apart into small pieces), and pimientos in a large bowl.
Pour sauce over pasta mixture and gently stir. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Top mixture with remaining 1 cup cheese.

At this point you can refrigerate 4 to 6 hours and cook later.
When you're ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook uncovered 25 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbly and browned.

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers up to 2 days.