There is something comforting about a pasts bake and this one is yummy. Who doesn’t love chicken and bacon as a combo (unless you don’t eat meat 😂) well I love chicken, bacon and pasta so winner winner chicken dinner for me. I added in the broccoli to cut through the saltiness of the stock and pancetta, it also adds a nice earthy note. I would normally make this with a cheese sauce but I saw a recipe for an Alfredo sauce and did a skinny take on that. I had to add some cheese but I only added it as a topping rather than in the sauce. Result yum yum yum.

Ingredients

For the Bake

• 100g pasta
• 1 head broccoli, florets only
• 2 chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp smoked garlic paste or 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion salt or sea salt
• 77g pack of smoked cubed pancetta or bacon (4 slices)
• 20g cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

For the Sauce

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp mixed dry herbs
• 1 tsp fresh black pepper
• Salt if needed

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees fan
2. Cook the pasta to the packet instructions (al dente) in the last 2 minutes add in the broccoli, drain and set aside.
3. In a bowl add the garlic paste, sweet paprika and onion salt. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat.
4. Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for a couple of minutes or until they start to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon leaving behind the fat. Set aside.
5. Add the chicken to the pan with the bacon fat. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes so it’s browned all over. Drain and set aside.
6. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk continuously for a minute to cook the flour out. Add the stock and whisk so there isn’t any lumps. As it heats up keep stirring for about 3 minutes until it thickens.
7. Assemble by adding the pasta, broccoli, pancetta and chicken in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and give it a mix. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil add the cheese and parsley. Bake for a further 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy 😊