A simple, filling kid-loved dinner – a creamy chicken base and spaghetti with lots of cheese, baked to perfection…
Life is moving in full swing, Alhamdulillah. A lot of matters are happening left, right and center. From a personal side, I started investing a little bit of time into gardening again. We did a little clean up and started to get plants one at a time. I already have enough packed inside my house and I am totally loving how it has turned out to be. I, of course, wouldn’t mind more plants, but having taken some lessons from my previous experience, I really don’t want to go overboard and end up killing any of them. Hehe… I am going to take it slow…
Otherwise, despite it being November, the temperature refuses to cool down. The early mornings and nights are comfortable, but once the sun is in full swing, it is uncomfortably hot. I really don’t like going for any chores during the afternoon, since a migraine is guaranteed at the end of it. While back home, the rains are playing havocs somewhere or the other. Global warming is real, now that we can witness visible change in the climate wherever we go. I just can’t wait for the better climates to set in soon, InShaAllah…
Of late, my girls have got this madness for spaghetti, which they used to not, before. So now I make sure I buy one pack of spaghetti and keep them in my pantry, when the girls want a switch from the normal pasta. Apart from making this simple spaghetti with mince, I also tried making spaghetti with meat balls but it didn’t come out as well as I would have liked it to be, so I kept that for another day. However, since meat is not something Azza is fond of, she would always like it to be with chicken. Hehe…
This spaghetti bake is just a twist off your normal pasta bake. The chicken base base is extra rich with the evaporated milk and the cream and therefore is a one-off treat. Do try to use evaporated milk itself for the extra creaminess, even though you can subsitute it with milk as well. Just like every pasta bake, the creamy base takes the bottom, the spaghetti is on the top with loads of cheese and flavorings, till it is baked to perfection. I added spinach to my base since I wanted to add some vegetable in the mix and this is one of the only ways my girls would have this green without much complaint. This is surely a heavy meal, so it is the best made when you have a big crowd to share. Side it off with a huge green salad to avoid any feeling of guilt… 😉
Baked Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 400 gm spaghetti
- 200 gm mozarella cheese
- Chilli flakes as needed
- Italian seasoning as needed
FOR CHICKEN BASE
- 500 gm boneless chicken made into small peices
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 20 gm butter
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 onion minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup evaporated milk can use normal milk
- 170 gm cream pack
- 1 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 bunch spinach chopped
Instructions
- To make the chicken base, pressure cook the chicken peieces with salt and pepper for one whistle. Allow it to go on its own. Reserve all the stock.
- Cook the spaghetti as per pack instructions till el dente and drain.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil and butter. Fry the garlic and then saute the onions just till wilted.
- Fry the flour and then pour the milk, cream and the reserved stock and whisk till the mixture is smooth.
- Add the chicken, spinach and white pepper powder and allow it to just bubble. Adjust seasoning.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Keep a 13x9 inch glass pan ready for baking.
- Spread the chicken mixture at the bottom. Top with the spaghetti. Sprinkle the mozarella cheese on top. Sprinkle the red chilli flakes and italian seasoning.
- Bake for 20 minutes till the cheese is melted.
- Enjoy hot with a salad on the side.