Chicken and bacon pasta bake
Enjoy this classic combo of chicken and bacon in a creamy pasta bake on a weeknight with family or serve to friends for a comforting dinner party main
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 100g smoked bacon lardons , chopped if large
- splash of oil
- 1large shallot or small onion , finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves , crushed
- 4skinless chicken thighs fillets or 2 skinless chicken breasts , sliced
- 2tbsp plain flour
- 100ml white wine or stock
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 1tsp dijon mustard
- 400g short pasta
- 75g mature cheddar , finely grated
- handful of parsley , finely chopped, plus more to serve
Instructions
Step 1
Put the lardons in a large pan and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 mins or until golden and crisp, adding a splash of oil if needed. Once browned, scoop out of the pan using a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving the fat behind.Step 2
Stir the shallot into the bacon fat in the pan, season and fry for 6-8 mins or until soft but not golden. Stir in the garlic for a minute until fragrant, then add the chicken. Fry for another 6-8 mins or until the chicken is seared all over – it doesn’t need to be completely cooked through at this point.Step 3
Sprinkle over the flour and stir into the chicken for 30 seconds until it disappears, then add the wine and mix well. Add the crème fraîche, mustard and some seasoning. Remove from the heat.Step 4
Cook the pasta for 8 mins so it still has a bite to it. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Stir most of the cheese, all the bacon and parsley through the sauce. Toss in the pasta, along with enough of the pasta water to loosen the sauce to coat the pasta well.Step 5
Transfer to a 30cm x 20cm baking dish, top with the remaining cheese and bake for 25-30 mins or until golden brown and crispy on top. Scatter with more parsley. Serve with a sharply dressed bitter leaf salad.