Easy Mediterranean Chicken Penne

Course Main Course, Pasta, Poultry

Cuisine American, Mediterranean-inspired, Southern

Keyword easy-chicken-penne, easy-mediterranean-chicken-penne

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 504kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

1 small onion diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each salt and black pepper adjust to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 15 oz jars light creamy Alfredo sauce any brand, I used Classico
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup 1/3 less fat chive and onion cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup basil pesto
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes rinsed
3 cups roughly chopped roasted chicken
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese divided use
4 cups cooked penne pasta
1 6 oz package baby leaf spinach
Topping:
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs or Italian cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large stove top pot over medium-high heat, cook diced onion in a couple of drizzles of olive oil until it's translucent and beginning to brown. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste then add the crushed red pepper flakes.
To the pot add both jars of Alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup of milk, and cream cheese.
Mix well, then simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring just until the cream cheese melts.
To the pot add Parmesan cheese, basil pesto, sun dried tomatoes, chicken and 1 1/4 cups of shredded cheese. Mix well.
Add the cooked penne pasta and the baby spinach. If you'd like the sauce a little thinner, add extra milk. [Tip: At this point, you could skip the oven and serve this dish as is....Stir all of the cheese into the mixture and simmer on the stove top until heated through. Then sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese just before serving. For a little crunch, top with toasted pine nuts.]
Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella on top.
Toss together crumbs and butter, sprinkle over cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and the edges are bubbly.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Sun dried tomatoes are packed in oil. I recommend that you rinse the oil from the tomatoes for this dish, to prevent the flavor from overpowering the sauce.

Nutrition