Super-green Chicken Pasta Bake

Spinach and fragrant basil make this vibrant béchamel sauce bright green and delicious.

Sarah TuckFood writer and editor of Dish magazine
prepare
cook
6 servings
Easy
A round dish of chicken pasta bake on a wooden board, with forks and a baguette in shot.
There's lots of green goodness packed into this crowd-pleasing chicken pasta dish.Josh Griggs

Here's a new use for the always-useful store-bought roast chicken from Sarah Tuck, CEO and editor of Dish magazine and the author of cookbooks Coming Unstuck and Stuck Together.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp each butter and extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
  • 1 cooked chicken, meat cut into large chunks (I use free-range, store-bought)
  • 400 grams pasta, cooked for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions (I use rigatoni)
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan
  • 50g butter (for the béchamel)
  • 5 Tbsp plain flour (for the béchamel)
  • 1¾ cups chicken stock (for the béchamel)
  • 1/3 cup cream (for the béchamel)
  • sea salt and ground black pepper (for the béchamel)
  • 150g fresh spinach leaves (for the béchamel)
  • 1 packed cup basil leaves (for the béchamel)
  • 1 cup grated parmesan

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake.
  2. Make the béchamel first. Heat the butter in a large pot over a gentle heat until just melted. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add the chicken stock and cream in three lots, stirring continuously, until well incorporated. Keep stirring while cooking over the heat until the sauce is thickened and smooth. If it misbehaves, just whisk it with a wire whisk until smooth — it should finish thick and silky. Season well with salt and pepper.
  4. Drop in the spinach and basil and use a stick whiz to blend until smooth and vibrant green. Whisk in the parmesan and set aside.
  5. Heat the butter and olive oil together in a large frying pan.
Add the onion, season well with salt and pepper and cook for 8 minutes until the onion is soft but not coloured. Add the broccoli and cook together over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
  6. Put in a large bowl. Add the chicken, cooked pasta and the béchamel and toss everything together. Tip into a large baking dish and sprinkle with the parmesan.
  7. Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden.

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