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Margherita Penne with Chicken

 The classic pizza gets a makeover into a delicious family meal idea in this Margherita Penne with Chicken recipe featuring fresh tomatoes, basil and cheese.

 The classic pizza gets a makeover into a delicious family meal idea in this Margherita Penne with Chicken recipe featuring fresh tomatoes, basil and cheese.

School starts in our area next week and with that begins a new, more hectic, schedule. Anything we can do to simplify our lives for back to school is welcome, especially when it comes to preparing meals.

Meal planning can really help to make things run smoother during the week and ensure that your family is eating healthy food and not just whatever I could throw together out of the pantry and freezer.

When I meal plan I like to think of creative ways to make our dollar stretch and one of my favourite things to do is to roast a giant chicken for dinner the first night and reserve one of the cooked breasts to make an entirely different meal to last us another 2-3 dinners plus scraps enough left for chicken sandwiches.

The classic pizza gets a makeover into a delicious family meal idea in this Margherita Penne with Chicken recipe.

Chicken is cheap enough as it is but when you can get Chicken Raised by a Canadian Farmer on sale… it is time to go to town and stock up. I actually managed to get a few 5-7 lb birds awhile ago on sale for less than $15 each. What a deal! Especially since a bird that size can easily feed a family of 4 for 3 to 4 meals if you plan it right.

Shopping is usually a huge time suck but you can speed things up further by using the Shopping with Chicken App list feature by adding a recipe to your shopping list.

You can then share the list with your partner and divide and conquer without accidentally doubling up on the same items! It actually makes meal planning a cinch!

Roasted-Chicken

When I roast my chicken in the oven I like to keep it simple and stuff it with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, a lemon and garlic then simply season the skin with salt and pepper before packing about a tablespoon of butter under the skin over each breast.

It always results in a flavourful and moist chicken with an amazing crispy skin. Just follow the recommended chicken cooking times.

We had roasted squash and a little rice with the chicken for dinner that night. The next day I picked apart the chicken and made us chicken sandwiches for lunch – my favourite sandwich!

For dinner I chopped up the remaining breast and incorporated into my super easy to make Margherita Penne with Chicken which lasted us 3 nights. (Keira wouldn’t eat it, apparently she doesn’t like penne any more, only spaghetti. 4 year olds, right?)

It is delicious though, I promise! (You know, unless you dislike the shape of Penne or something…)

The classic pizza gets a makeover into a delicious family meal idea in this Margherita Penne with Chicken recipe.

Margherita Penne with Chicken

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:
3 Cups Penne Rigato
1/4 Cup Butter
6 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp All-purpose flour
2 1/2 Cups Milk
2 Cups Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Cup Parmesan, Grated
1 200 g container Mini Bocconcini
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil leaves, sliced in small strips
1 Chicken Breast, Precooked or pan fried, sliced

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.*

Stir in the penne and cook for about 11 minutes or until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper and saute for one minute.

Whisk the flour into the butter and continue whisking for 1 minute.

Gradually pur in the milk while still whisking.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, whisking for 3-5 minutes or until the roux is smooth and thickened.

Stir in parmesan until well combined.

Drain the pasta and return to pot.**

Pour in the roux and stir to coat pasta.

Stir in tomatoes, bocconcini, basil and chicken.

*Tip: If you add just a tbsp of olive oil the pasta won’t stick to each other and the pot won’t boil over.

**Tip: Do not rinse pasta!

The classic pizza gets a makeover into a delicious family meal idea in this Margherita Penne with Chicken recipe.

Margherita Penne with Chicken
Yield: 6

Margherita Penne with Chicken

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups Penne Rigato
  • 1/4 Cup Butter
  • 6 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp All-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 Cups Milk
  • 2 Cups Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 Cup Parmesan, Grated
  • 1 200 g container Mini Bocconcini
  • 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil leaves, sliced in small strips
  • 1 Chicken Breast, Precooked or pan fried, sliced

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.*
  2. Stir in the penne and cook for about 11 minutes or until al dente.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
  4. Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper and saute for one minute.
  5. Whisk the flour into the butter and continue whisking for 1 minute.
  6. Gradually pur in the milk while still whisking.
  7. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, whisking for 3-5 minutes or until the roux is smooth and thickened.
  8. Stir in parmesan until well combined.
  9. Drain the pasta and return to pot.**
  10. Pour in the roux and stir to coat pasta.
  11. Stir in tomatoes, bocconcini, basil and chicken.

Notes

*Tip: If you add just a tbsp of olive oil the pasta won't stick to each other and the pot won't boil over.
**Tip: Do not rinse pasta!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 grams

Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

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#SchoolURChicken Twitter Party

Chicken Farmers of Canada are  holding a #SchoolURChicken Twitter Party, so come join us on September 13th at 9 pm EST!

●    Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2016
●    Time: 9 pm EST
●    Hashtag: SchoolURChicken
●    Hosts: @ChickenFarmers, @SJConsulting_CA
●    Eligibility: Open to Canada

Prizing:
1.    Crockpot multicooker
2.    Cuisinart Pan set
3.    HP Stream Notebook

Come join us for some great conversation, prizing and FUN!

RSVP Below by adding your Twitter name (ie. @ElizabethL) in the Name field and your Twitter link (ie. https://twitter.com/ElizabethL) in the URL field. Official rules and regulations for the Twitter Party can be seen HERE.

The classic pizza gets a makeover into a delicious family meal idea in this Margherita Penne with Chicken recipe. A cheesy sauce, fresh tomatoes and pasta means this dinner idea will soon be among your favourite dinner recipes!

Connect with Chicken Farmers of Canada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest

raised-by-a-canadian-chicken-farmer-2

Disclosure: I am participating in the Chicken Farmers of Canada campaign managed by SJ Consulting. I received compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Stephanie

Friday 9th of September 2016

Thanks for sharing the recipe! Looks good. And I hope I can join in on the Twitter pary!

Joanne Saunders

Friday 9th of September 2016

How do I add my name to RSVP to the twitter party? I can't find the link. My twitter handle is @MOJOBELO.

Terri Baker

Friday 9th of September 2016

Sounds delicious! I look forward to cooking more once this heat goes away.

Janis @MommyBlogExpert

Sunday 4th of September 2016

Your recipe sounds absolutely wonderful, adding it now to my chicken dishes to try this fall list. Also the upcoming Twitter Party you have planned for Canadians sounds really fun and thought you'd be glad to know I've just added it to the MommyBlogExpert.com Master Twitter Party Calendar.

Jenn Gerlach

Saturday 3rd of September 2016

This looks amazing. I think I need to add it to my menu for some time this month. I just love great food.

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