Nothing is more satisfying than making an Italian dish at home from scratch. It is not as complicated as it looks, trust me. White sauce scared me for years and I ended up eating pasta at restaurants. Until the day I decided to get it right. It is so simple — I can’t believe I didn’t try it earlier!
Creamy and satisfying, white sauce chicken pasta could be your first foray into the vast land of Italian cooking. It’s quite simple, really. You could eat it on a chilly day with wine while all curled up on your sofa; it’s so comforting, it’ll wrap you up in it’s creaminess. So, c’mon, let’s make a beautiful Italian dish together!
There are three parts to this dish. Making the creamy white sauce, otherwise known as béchamel sauce, cooking the pasta (fusilli or any pasta of your choice), and frying the chicken or roasting the chicken. It is a mix of three recipes actually, and it’s all here.
Since I made the white sauce and roast chicken at a different time, I’ve included them here in separate posts — so you’ll find the recipe for the white sauce here, and the recipe for the roast chicken and root vegetables here. You’ll want to use all of the white sauce, and less than half of the chicken (or as much as you want, really). Of course, I’ve included a quick and easy method for the chicken if you’re not in the mood to make so much chicken or use root vegetables.
White Sauce Chicken Pasta | Fusilli with White Sauce and Chicken
3 servings
I’ve included here, a quick and easy fried chicken recipe that you can use, instead of the roast chicken with root vegetables.
Ingredients
- White sauce
- Roast chicken and root vegetables, about 200 gm or: 250 gm of 1-inch cubed chicken pieces, a pinch each of salt and pepper powder, and a pinch each of dried rosemary and sage, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fusilli pasta (or a pasta of your choice), 250 gm
- Parmesan cheese, grated, a handful
- Water, 1.5 litres
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pan with water and bring it to a boil while on high heat.
- Make the white sauce while the water get to its boiling point.
- Add some salt to the boiling water, and then add the pasta and let it cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until it’s al dente — which means it’s cooked but it still is firm.
- While the pasta is cooking, you can fry the chicken or cut up your roast chicken into 3/4-inch pieces. Add oil to a skillet over medium heat, and once it is hot, add the chicken pieces.
- Sauté them for about two minutes while tossing them about, and then add salt, pepper, rosemary and sage. Toss and mix the the chicken until it is cooked — when you see a beautiful golden coating.
- Lower the flame, and add the sauce. If you’re using roast chicken, add the sauce and chicken to a pan and keep it on low heat.
- Reserve a quarter of a cup of cooking water, and then drain the pasta and add it to the sauce and chicken.
- Add the water a little to the mix (chicken, pasta and sauce), then the cheese. Mix it about lightly and turn of the heat when it has all blended. Season with salt and pepper, if need be.
- Serve the pasta on a plate and ladle the sauce over it. Sprinkle some cheese over it.
If you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #notjustspice.