Tuscan Baked Chicken Alfredo Rustica Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Pasta: Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, prepare Alfredo Sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, onions, and 1 c. mozzarella. Season to taste. Transfer mixture to an 2-4 quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.
• 2. Alfredo Sauce: Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth and set aside. In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. It should be nice and bubbly. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now. When it's nice and thick (it should look as thick as a normal alfredo sauce) remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic; saute until golden, about 30 seconds. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Add milk; stir until there are no lumps. Lower heat to medium. Add 3/4 of the Parmesan cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and garlic powder on both sides. Cook chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 6 minutes per side. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Butter bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Cover bottom with a layer of pasta. Place half of the chicken cubes on top. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the chicken. Repeat layering pasta, chicken, and sauce. Sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until sauce is bubbly, about 15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake until cheese is golden, about 5 minutes more.