Baked Four Cheese Pasta with Chicken

Baked Four Cheese Pasta with Chicken
Yield
4-6
Yield
4-6
Baked Four Cheese Pasta with Chicken
Yield
4-6
Yield
4-6
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 1pound penne pastaziti, or large shells (see note)
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 4each garlic clovesminced
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 2pounds chicken breastlarge dice
  • 4ounces Italian fontina cheeseshredded (about 1 cup)
  • 3ounces Gorgonzola cheesecrumbled (about 3/4 cup)
  • 2ounces Parmesan cheesegrated (about 1 cup)
  • 1ounce Pecorino Romanograted (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 1cup panko bread crumbs
Yield:
Instructions
  1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook, stirring often, until about half cooked, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and toss with the oil; leave in the colander and set aside.
  3. 2. Wipe out the dutch oven with paper towels. Add the butter to the pot, return to medium-low heat, and heat the butter until melted. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the cream and reserved pasta cooking water. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. 3. Add the chicken breasts, partially cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover completely, and cook until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Add the pasta, fontina, Gorgonzola, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and the Pecorino to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and panko bread crumbs. Bake until the top is golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.