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Baked pasta with chicken, lemon, white wine, and herbs.

Freezer Meal: Pasta with Chicken, Lemon & White Wine


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Description

This is my go-to meal to take to a friend in need.

A few notes:

  • I especially love making this with leftover whole roasted chicken or spatchcocked chicken (recipe below).
  • As noted in the recipe, however, many people love chicken breasts. Here’s how to cook them: Heat the oven to 400ºF. Place three boneless skinless chicken breasts in a roasting pan. Coat them lightly with olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper on both sides. Tuck in any herbs you have — rosemary and thyme are nice. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until just cooked through. You don’t want to overdo it here because the whole mixture cooks together in a casserole pan for 25 minutes covered in foil. Err on the side of slightly under-cooking the chicken. If you are like me and prefer dark meat or like a mix of both dark and white meat, spatchcocked chicken works nicely here. See above for a recipe.
  • If you’re bringing this to a friend, a nice addition is a loaf of bread because there is lots of nice sauce to sop it all up with along with a simple salad and a shallot vinaigrette.
  • If passing the meal off to a friend: Place all of the ingredients in a disposable foil roasting pan or a resealable freezer bag. This meal can be frozen for up to 3 months. Label and date and provide reheating instructions: Thaw in refrigerator overnight before baking. Bake covered in foil for 20 to 25 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb shells
  • 1 1/2 lbs. cooked chicken*
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2/3 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Place a large pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta al dente — I cook it very al dente because the pasta eventually bakes for 25 minutes covered in foil. Drain and set aside.
  2. Dice chicken (or shred if you’re using roast chicken) and set aside.
  3. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend.
  4. If passing along to a friend, see notes above. Otherwise, preheat the oven to 350º F. Place pasta and chicken in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over top. Toss to combine. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until everything is nicely heated through.
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American