This cheddar chicken pasta dish is made complete with some smoked cheddar cheese. Simply delicious!
To begin, start heating a pot of salted water for your pasta. You’re going to cook a pound of Gamelli or similar pasta while you are making the chicken.
In a small dish, combine a teaspoon of dry mustard and a tablespoon of thyme. Set it aside for now.
Cut up a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces and give them a nice salt & peppering.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken over medium high heat until golden and cooked through.
Remove it to a dish and toss it with the mustard & thyme.
In your skillet, sauté a finely diced, small onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic.
Cook them until they are tender and then reduce your heat (or turn it off). Whisk in a quarter of a cup of Cognac (or white wine) to deglaze your pan.
Add in 2 tablespoons of butter and return this to medium heat.
When the butter is melted, whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour.
Cook that for just a minute and then whisk in 2 cups of whole milk.
Stir in a tablespoon of whole grain Dijon mustard and let this cook on medium heat until the sauce just begins to bubble, whisking often.
While that is cooking, grate about 4 ounces of Cheddar cheese and 4 ounces of Smoked Cheddar.
When the sauce has begun to bubble and is thickened, stir in the chicken
Along with a teaspoon of oregano
and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, salt, & pepper.
Finally, whisk in your grated cheeses, stirring until it is completely melted.
As my son says, “Oh my Guten Gravy!”
And at last, stir in your cooked & drained pasta.
Enjoy!
Cheddar Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb Gamelli pasta, or similar pasta
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 Tb thyme
- 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tb oil, EVOO
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ c Cognac
- 2 Tb butter
- 2 Tb flour
- 2 c whole milk
- 1 Tb whole grain Dijon mustard
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- To begin, start heating a pot of salted water for your pasta. You’re going to cook a pound of Gamelli or similar pasta while you are making the chicken.
- In a small dish, combine the dry mustard and thyme. Set it aside for now.
- Cut up the chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces and give them a nice salt & peppering. Heat oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken over medium high heat until golden and cooked through. Remove it to a dish and toss it with the mustard & thyme.
- In your skillet, sauté the onion and garlic. Cook them until they are tender and then reduce your heat (or turn it off); whisk in the Cognac (or white wine) to deglaze your pan.
- Add in the butter and return this to medium heat. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Cook that for just a minute and then whisk in the whole milk. Stir in the whole grain Dijon mustard and let this cook on medium heat until the sauce just begins to bubble, whisking often.
- While that is cooking, grate your cheeses. When the sauce has begun to bubble and is thickened, stir in the chicken, along with the oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Finally, whisk in your grated cheeses, stirring until it is completely melted.
- At last, stir in your cooked & drained pasta.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Unit Conversions:
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Yum! My favorite has to be those little brown bits of flavor.