CHICKEN ALFREDO BAKED ZITI

This chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti recipe is made with a lightened-up alfredo sauce, it’s clean to customise with more greens and seasonings, and it's miles constantly so comforting and scrumptious.

This time of 12 months, while all of us appears to be craving heat pasta dinners across the table on chilly iciness nights, this chicken alfredo baked ziti recipe always goes viral right here on the weblog.  And this time of 12 months, when I make a batch for myself, I’m continually reminded how unbeatable this Italian casserole will usually be.  I mean, creamy alfredo sauce, savory chook, hearty pasta, two delicious varieties of melty cheese — what’s not to like?!  There’s a purpose why this one will usually be a traditional.

That said, at the same time as this recipe already capabilities my lightened-up alfredo sauce recipe, there are all types of other ways you may make this consolation food a chunk more healthy in case you’d like.  From subbing in whole wheat pasta (this one is my move-to), to including for your choice of greens (we’re quite partial to broccoli in our residence), to creating all of it gluten-loose if you’d like (clean to do with some simple tweaks), options to personalize this casserole abound.  And bonus, it can be geared up to serve a large crowd in much less than forty five minutes.

INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN BAKED ZITI INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces uncooked ziti (or any pasta shape)
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)
• 1 batch alfredo sauce (see below)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• toppings: lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, finely-chopped fresh basil or parsley

ALFREDO SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE THE CHICKEN BAKED ZITI:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Mist a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Cook the pasta al dente in a large stockpot of well-salted boiling according to package instructions. Drain. Return pasta to the stockpot and add chicken and alfredo sauce. Gently toss to combine until the pasta is evenly coated.
3. Pour half of the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of cheese. Layer the remaining half of the pasta evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and just barely starts to turn golden. Remove and serve immediately, sprinkled with additional toppings if desired.

TO MAKE THE ALFREDO SAUCE:

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
2. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Recipe From : https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/chicken-alfredo-baked-ziti-recipe/