Baked Chicken Pasta

Pasta cooked with chicken, capsicum and baked with cheese

It was a lazy morning.. You must be wondering, usually stories begin with 'It was a lazy afternoon', yes, but for me it began in the morning itself ;) So I was on a movie marathon spree. It was in the middle of the 3rd movie I guess that hunger struck me. And since I had all cuddled up nicely on the sofa with lethargy at its heights, I was on high Italian cravings. Pasta and chicken and cheese melting within. Lo, I was ready for action.. Cooking time :D What nice way to boost your lethargy than with baked pasta, rite ?? I had previously done a lot of research on pasta cooking and after two or three unsuccessful attempts, I succeeded in getting it right. So I thought I should share with you all :) Don't look scared with the list down there. Just a few tips, so that you get it right at your first attempt :)

How to cook pasta 

• Boil water. Add in salt for the extra flavor
• Most of the brands/institutes specify the ratio of water-pasta-salt as 1000 gm-100 gm-1 tsp. However, the idea is to have enough water to cover the pasta a little over, so that it is convenient enough to stir them.  
• Cover the pan and allow water to come to a boil. Once it starts boiling you can uncover 
• Add the pasta now
• Stir and check every now and then till al dente 
• Different brands and shapes of pasta have different cooking times. And usually this will be listed in the pasta cover/box. 
• Hence do not mix leftovers of one with another. This can turn into a mess
• The time listed will be quite accurate. Hence stick to it
• Al dente means to be cooked to firm but not hard. This means 'to the tooth' in Italian. It is thoroughly cooked but still offers resistance while chewing. In effect not too hard and not too soft
• Stirring the pasta is very important, especially in the beginning when you add the pasta, because they tend to clutter together as the first layer begins to soften and release starch
• Later on have some occassional stirs to ensure that they stay separate
• Strain using a colander or strainer

Recipe for Baked Chicken Pasta

I took: 1 hour

Serves: 1 person

I Used:

Pasta (I used Penne)  -  1 cup  Pasta Sauce         -  5 tbsp Chicken              - 100 gm - Boneless & chopped Onion                 - 1 no - medium sized - Diced Capsicum            - 1 no - medium sized - Diced Garlic                 - 3 cloves Basil                   - ½ tsp Rosemary            - ½ tsp Cinnamon            - An inch piece Olive oil              - 3 tsp Mozarella cheese  - As garnish to cover the pasta Pepper powder    - As needed Salt                     - As needed

The Way:

1. For this recipe, cook the pasta just before al dente. A minute less than the time specified in the pack
2. In a pan, heat olive oil
3. Add garlic and cinnamon and saute
4. Add the chicken pieces, basil and rosemary and saute till the chicken is half done
5. Then add the onion and capsicum and saute 
6. Add the pasta sauce and stir 
7. Add pepper powder and salt and stir well 
8. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
9. Lay the pasta in a ovenproof dish and sprinkle over mozarella cheese
10. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving

Cheers,

Chitz