Chicken Caprese Penne

Chicken Caprese Penne is one of those wonderful comfort food pasta bake dishes. It’s a great family meal that just about everyone will love. Chicken & penne pasta bakes are usually a great food combination to start with. Mix this with a lovely tomato based pasta sauce that also contains, parmesan, cream and garlic and you have a very tasty combination. Add in mozzarella, basil and mini roma tomatoes for a sweet burst of flavour and the dish becomes even more creamy and mouth-watering. Finish with a topping of mozzarella to provide a beautiful golden topping and you will want to keep eating this meal until you burst.

Ingredients:
• 2 large Chicken Fillets breast fillets cut into bite sized pieces
• 350 g Penne Pasta
• 500 g Pasta Sauce
• 1/2 cup Thickened Cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove Garlic crushed
• Salt to season
• Pepper to season
• 250 g Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half (I used mini Roma tomatoes)
• 2 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese separated as 1 1/2 & 1 cup amounts
• 3 tbsp Basil Leaves roughly chopped

Instructions
1. Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. In a frying pan over medium high heat add chicken and cook until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Cook penne according to packet instructions.
4. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add pasta sauce, thickened cream, parmesan, garlic, salt & pepper. Stir regularly until cheese melts.
5. Drain pasta and add to a large baking dish.
6. Add chicken, tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 2 tbsp basil leaves to baking dish. Stir to mix through.
7. Add pasta sauce over the top and stir to mix through.
8. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella over the top of the pasta and place in oven and cook for about 20 minutes until cheese is golden.
9. Sprinkle with basil leaves and serve.

For pictures & more follow the link below:
Chicken Caprese Penne

bon appetit