Recipe: Chicken Pasta Gratin
I have a jar where I throw all of my leftover short dried pasta that isn’t used when I open the package. Then I end up making what I call “Random Pasta Dish.” Last night’s dinner was a plan for that, so it had whole wheat fusilli and some farfalle and some penne. You can put some lump crab meat in it. Mac thought that sounded weird, so I used some of my leftover chicken that I made eariler. I semi-shredded it.
Also, the recipe has to dot the crust, but that never works for me, so I cut the butter into my bread crumbs with my food processor. Just make sure you stop when the butter looks like small pebbles. Don’t let your food processor make a paste out of it.
Chicken Pasta Gratin
- ¾ lb. short dried pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Ground nutmeg, to taste
- ⅔ lb. shredded or diced cooked chicken
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- ½ cup finely shredded Emmentaler cheese
- ½ cup plus 3 Tbs. grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese
- ½ cup plus 3 Tbs. finely shredded white cheddar cheese
- ½ cup fine dried bread crumbs
Preheat an oven to 400 °F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir well and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water to halt the cooking and drain again.
Transfer to a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs. of the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until fully incorporated, about 3 minutes; do not allow to brown. Slowly add the milk and cream, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Add the sauce to the pasta and mix well. Fold in the chicken, chives, and 1/2 cup each of the Emmentaler, Parmigiano-Reggiano and cheddar cheeses. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with the 3 Tbs. each Parmigiano-Reggiano and cheddar, sprinkling evenly over the surface. Then sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Finally, cut the remaining 2 Tbs. butter into bits and use to dot the top of the gratin.
Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
I love me some chicken! Thanks for sharing that recipe. Here’s a quick tip for when you’re in a hurry and you need grilled chicken fast. First of all, you need to buy the pre-cooked grilled chicken packages at Sam’s Club. They are in the frozen section. They’re mesquite flavored…and quite tasty. So anyway, when you’re in a pinch, just pop these babies in the microwave (about 5 minutes for two), and they come out hot & ready to eat. You can cut them up into strips to use in a salad, eat them as is, or make a sandwich out of them.