Mary Berry Chicken Pasta Bake is a delightful and comforting dish created by Mary Berry. This recipe combines succulent chicken strips, penne pasta, a creamy cheese sauce with Dijon mustard, and a flavorful blend of paprika and diced tomatoes. The dish is then baked to perfection, resulting in a golden brown and piping hot casserole that will satisfy your taste buds making it a perfect family meal.
Boneless chicken breastscut into strips. (3 boneless chicken breasts)
Paprika1 tablespoon
Olive oil2 tablespoons
Salt and ground pepper to taste
For the sauce
Butter1¾oz/50g
All-purpose flour1¾oz/50g
Full-fat milk 2 cupshot (see tip)
Dijon mustard1 teaspoon
Parmesan cheesegrated (3½oz/100g)
Tomatoesdeseeded and diced (2 large tomatoes)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 220°C /430°F.
Grease a shallow ovenproof dish of around 11 x 7 x 1.5 inches (28 x 18 x 4 cm) with butter.
Cook the penne
(Note: While the pasta is cooking you can start preparing and frying the chicken)
Cook the penne pasta together with the onion in a pot of boiling salted water, following the instructions on the packet.
Drain the pasta cooked al dente and the onion.
Cook the chicken
Place the chicken strips in a resealable freezer bag along with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Seal the bag and shake it well to coat the chicken with the seasoning.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan.
Fry the chicken over high heat for approximately 2 minutes until it turns golden brown and is cooked through. You may need to do this in batches.
Transfer the fried chicken to a plate using a slotted spoon and set it aside.
Prepare the sauce
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Gently add the flour whisking for a minute.
Pour in the hot milk while whisking vigorously over high heat until the sauce becomes smooth and thickened.
Allow the sauce to simmer for 4 minutes.
Stir in the mustard, half of the cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. This mixture is the sauce.
Assemble and bake the Chicken Pasta Bake
Combine the cooked pasta and onion with the sauce in the saucepan, stirring them together.
Spoon half of this mixture into the prepared dish.
Arrange the chicken strips over the top of the pasta mixture
Spoon the remaining pasta and sauce over the chicken.
Sprinkle the tomatoes over the dish.
Finish by sprinkling the remaining cheese on top.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the dish is thoroughly heated and the top turns golden brown.