Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Submitted by RedVinoGirl

"This is one of Giada's recipes. It's a recipe meant to be kid pleasing so it's mild in flavor. My little ones love this, and so do I! You can spice this up any way you want to suit your family if they don't like things mild, as the recipe intended. I sometimes add hot chicken italian sausage. I also use 1/2 pound of pasta rather than the 1 cup stated."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 cup pastina (I only use elbows)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chicken breast, cubed (1-inch cubes)
• 1⁄2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1⁄2 teaspoon basil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1⁄4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.
3. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add the crushed red pepper, basil and italian seasoning. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Reviews

[kthrnwashington]

Wow! Easy and so simple. Delicious meal that I make extra and put in 8x8 aluminum tins and then wrap in HD foil and then freeze for later use. It freezes well. Goes great with a salad and crusty bread. This is a tasty, econmical, home cooked meal you can have in the same amount of time as it takes to call and wait for take-out/delivery. Best part, you can really customize it (I added mushrooms & used fire roasted tomatoes instead of plain diced, plus extras garlic) and you don't have to tip!