Creamy Chicken Alfredo Shells

February 19th, 2014


Creamy Chicken Alfredo Shells
Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta shells, prepared al dente
8 TBSP butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 cup all purpose flour
7 cups milk
2 TSP salt
1 TSP black pepper
1/4 TSP nutmeg
1 pound spinach, stemmed, washed, blanched and chopped
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup Italian shredded cheese
2 cups grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping and serving at the table
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 TBSP olive oil
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1/4 TSP onion powder
1/4 TSP garlic powder
1/2 TSP paprika


Directions:
1. Season chicken with Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of the paprika. Cook in a sauté pan for about 5-6 minutes each side. Remove from the pan, dice and reserve.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degress.
3. Melt 2 TBSP butter in another large sauté pan. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the flour and cook stirring with a spoon for about 2 minutes.
4. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly until thickened for about 5-6 minutes. Add 1/2 TSP salt, pepper, nutmeg, spinach and 1 and 1/2 cups of grated parmesan. Stir this together for another 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat. Cover the sauce surface directly with plastic wrap to reserve sauce until ready to assemble.
5. Coat a 9 inch bakeware dish (such as Rachael Ray's orange bakeware) with a little olive oil cooking spray. Put a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill it with the chicken and shells and toss to mix. Add the rest of your seasonings and almost all the rest of the cheese here so they can be found all throughout the dish.
6. Pour more sauce over the shells and chicken and toss gently until well combined. Sprinkle the rest of the left over cheese on the top and back for about 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.


Wine selection:
I am going to go with the same Pinot Noir from yesterday. This dish is so cheesy, creamy, and rich I want it to shine on its own. So, this Pinot Noir will compliment but not fight to steal the show. You can also pear this dish with an unoaked Chardonnay. You don't want a big buttery Chardonnay because your palate will be confused and the wine and food will start tasting very similar.


Enjoy,
Julianne

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