Chicken Pasta Bake

Pitlanepiglet

MRS_TO_BE wrote: »

Thanks Piglet.

Think I will use the Passata like suggested as strange as it sounds I don't really like tomatoes and hate the pips!!

That's why I'd use the passata or blend the tomatoes I can't stand tomatoes that in any way resemble tomatoes! I'm quite happy to eat them when I've blended them into a sauce but I hate chunks of them! I know it's quite childlike but it's how it is!

You're motivation is good Mrs to be, it will be nice for your littlie to be able to eat home cooked food.

I wouldn't necessarily add a stock cube, you could add it to the chicken before you put the tomatoes in but personally with what you're doing I wouldn't.

Pitlanepiglet

Forgot to say, if it's a fan assisted oven I'd drop it down a bit, perhaps to 170 degree, you don't want it too crispy unless you're putting breadcrumbs on it.

MRS_TO_BE_2

Piglet....you and I sound exactly the same about tomatoes!

Bake is in oven and is looking good! Added some garlic...and topped it with cheese. OH is very impressive but did tell him I got some help from the forum.

There is enough to feed loads so guess my son will be having it for lunch tomorrow. will need to mash it up and bit and cut the pasta up but think he will love it.

MRS_TO_BE_2

And oven now turned down!

MRS_TO_BE_2

YUM YUM

Thanks everyone. Tasted great and other half really impressed.

Rikki

MRS_TO_BE wrote: »

YUM YUM

Thanks everyone. Tasted great and other half really impressed.

Well Done! :T


From small beginnings. You'll be able to achieve all sorts with help you can get on here.:D

foreversomeday

My favourite recipe for makeshift chicken pasta bake:

Fry (well, at least seal) the chicken in some butter with a few herbs, and garlic if you have it. Then chuck in some onions and mushrooms (I usually add anything else I have spare along the lines of peppers, spring onions etc but you don't need anything else really.)

While you are doing this cook the pasta as you usually would, erring on the side of slightly harder than it needs to be rather than making it too soft.

Add a can of soup to the chicken/mushroom/onion mixture in the frying pan. Condensed soup made up with half the amount of liquid, and milk instead of water, works best but I used heinz cream of mushroom the other day (don't know about you but we always have some of this lying around) and it was still yummy. The soup absorbs all the cooking juices from the onions and chicken so it will go a funny brown colour but it tastes amazing. I like to add a lot of black pepper and some whole or only partly crushed peppercorns as well at this stage.

Then I either serve the chicken/sauce mixture over the pasta, or if I am feeling less lazy I do mix it together with the pasta in a casserole dish and bake in the oven. I'm allergic to cheese and never thought of using breadcrumbs on top so it has to be less than 30 minutes, which gives it a crispy slightly burnt (in a nice way) texture on top without the whole dish turning black and horrible.

I know you've made it now but thought I'd add my suggestion for next time I find soup invaluable as an emergency sauce!

MRS_TO_BE_2

Thanks Rikki....this forum is full of ideas and now I'm determined to make more dishes from scratch. Usually it just tried and tested things like lasagne I do and even there I'm getting more lazy and using Jars....(only excuse is 10mth old son, work full time and never in the door before 630pm after collecting OH from work)

Foreversomeday...my best friend who is a great cook often uses condensed soup as sauces...will get some in. Mushroom is def worth a try as not too keen on tomato so will make a nice change.

foreversomeday

MRS_TO_BE wrote: »

Foreversomeday...my best friend who is a great cook often uses condensed soup as sauces...will get some in. Mushroom is def worth a try as not too keen on tomato so will make a nice change.

Just remember with the condensed soup to make it up with milk rather than water, and half the amount Makes it the right consistency for a sauce, and if it is too thick much easier to add extra milk than faff around with flour or cornflour.

Hope this helps! I am trying to do more home cooked food as at the moment I'm just too lazy and we end up with something half hearted. I decided to start meal planning which has helped and decided to make one meal from scratch a week, and use the slow cooker once a week. I will hopefully then increase at some point to twice a week etc. I have also been freezing leftovers so we don't end up having so many takeaways if we really are feeling lazy!

MRS_TO_BE_2

I use the slow cooker at lot in the winter for stews etc.
Been a bit slack on doing the meal planner so will start doing this again.

Just wish I had a bigger freezer..............