Sunday, May 27, 2007

Creamy Chicken Rigatoni

Creamy Chicken RigatoniI got this recipe years ago from my mother. Who knows where she found it but it's been a favorite for a dozen years. Whether you like spinach or not, whether you eat your veggies or not, you'll love this--I always have to tell the kids to slow down and take smaller bites, chew between gulps, etc. when this is on the menu.

Oh, and the sauce makes enough for two meals.

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 c flour
5 cups milk
2 teaspoons mild chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
½ pound diced, chicken
8 ounces finely chopped frozen spinach, thawed
6 ounces grated cheddar
2 tablespoons Parmesan, plus some for topping
16 ounces of cooked penne

Melt the butter and add the flour, whisking to combine. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook over a medium heat until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Add the chili powder, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, saute chicken and garlic in the olive oil until it begins to brown then add the spinach, heating throughly and cooking the chicken until it's done. Add the chicken mixture to the sauce then add the grated cheddar and Parmesan, stirring until the cheeses melt. Serve over cooked rigatoni and topped with shredded Parmesan.

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27 comments:

truevyne said...

Gonna try it. Ever tried artichoke pasta? Three of my children eat it, but I devour it.

deedee said...

This is what we're going to have for supper tonight, thanks for the recipe. I have some leftover cooked chicken I need to use up...but I think that should work.

Deb said...

I'll have to save this for cooler weather since summer finally arrived.

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

So I am supposed to be getting ready for church and making breakfast, but all I can do is read my favorite blogs and drool over that pasta.

Yum.

My pasta loving family will be so pleased.

daisy said...

Thanks for sharing! My family puts up with my pasta passion, but I have a feeling that they will really like this one!

Daisy said...

This looks delicious. I couldn't figure out the last ingredient -- 6 oz. of what?

Jenn in Holland said...

Hooray! I can get ALL those ingredients here!
Sounds like a winner, I think we shall put it on the menu for tomorrow. (tonight we ordered pizza!)

Andi said...

I am wondering what the last ingredient is.

Musings of a Housewife said...

That looks soooooooooooo good!

Culinary Cowgirl said...

Sounds (and looks) great...my son would love that...will have to try.

New to your blog. A very enjoyable read :o)

my4kids said...

Ooh that looks yummy!

Ice Cream said...

The one thing that stops me from making the recipes that I read on blogs is that I don't have all the ingredients. WELL, I have all the ingredients for this and it looks scrumptious! I will give it the kid test tonight =)Thanks for posting it.

Jordan McCollum said...

I'm gonna take a wild guess at the last ingredient ;)

16 oz. of rigatoni, prepared according to package directions.

Looks like penne would work well, too.

Definitely on this week's menu plan--thanks, Michelle!!

Scribbit said...

Yes, thanks for filling it in Jordan I was a bit distracted when I pulled this out to post it.

Been a tough weekend.

Maddy said...

Is it 36 or 54 bites between mouthfuls?
Cheers

Mimi Lenox said...

Michelle - We need a peace blogger to represent Alaska. Are you interested?

Many bloggers, including WW participants, will be flying Peace Globes in the blogosphere on Wednesday, June 6, 2007. It is BlogBlast for Peace day - the second annual event. Please consider using your Wordless Wednesday platforms on this day to participate. You can find more information about the movement at Mimi Writes or BlogBlast for Peace
http://mimiwrites.blogspot.com or http://mimilenox.blogspot.com

Thanks and peace!
Mimi

Lisa said...

That looks SO FREAKING GOOD! Am drooling.

An Ordinary Mom said...

Yum! I am always on the lookout for new pasta dishes.

Islandsparrow said...

mmmm

"I don't like spinach" she said. "but...this sounds so good I may be willing to give it a try"

*grin*

Sharon L. Holland said...

We tried your recipe last night and it was quite tasty, though I used a little half-n-half leftover from another recipe in place of some of the milk. Just to make it a little unhealthy, don't ya know.

V said...

Thanks, scribbit! I love tried and tested recipes. :-)

Sheila said...

Sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing.

Jenny said...

looks really good!!

Nan said...

This sounds SO yummy! I linked it on my recip blog

I think you joined in on one of my last contests so I thought you might want to know about what's happening at my place next week!

luckyzmom said...

I will be making this. I love spinach and almost anything in a cream sauce. Thanks for posting the recipe.

Anonymous said...

It was wonderful...my picky 3 year old ate it up! Yum! Thanks for sharing. I have passed it on...

Anonymous said...

I made this for dinner last night and it was wonderful. I will make it again but will use a different type of pasta, penne or fetucini next time, as I found the rigatoni too much for the heavy sauce. We gave it 8 1/2 stars as it was though. Thanks for posting.