Pimento Cheesy Chicken Bake. Doesn’t it just sound great? The creamy, cheesy, spicy goodness of the caviar-of-the-South, pimiento cheese, is baked into a casserole with savory shredded chicken, slightly nutty pasta, and a crunchy whole-grain cracker crust. You can just hear the magic in the words, and once it comes out of the oven, you’ll be able to taste it, too! Pimento Cheesy Chicken Bake; it tastes as good as it sounds!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
- 8 ounces whole-grain penne pasta, cooked
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 6 ounces reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento peppers, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup whole-grain crackers, crushed
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Directions
Step 1 –Position the oven rack 6 inches from the heat source, then preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 –In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1 cup of the milk until smooth.
Step 3 –Heat a large broiler-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
Step 4 –Add the remaining milk to the skillet and bring it to a boil, while stirring often.
Step 5 –Lower the heat to medium.
Step 6 –Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the milk until smooth.
Step 7 –Return the flour-milk mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, while stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 8 –Add the cooked pasta and the broccoli to the flour-milk mixture and stir until combined.
Step 9 –Cook the pasta mixture over medium-high heat, while stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green, about 2 minutes.
Step 10 –Add the chicken, the cheddar, the pimiento peppers, the onion powder, the salt, and the pepper to the pasta mixture and stir until the cheese is melted.
Step 11 –Transfer the pasta mixture away from the heat.
Step 12 –In a small bowl, add the crushed whole-grain crackers and the oil and stir to combine.
Step 13 –Sprinkle the cracker mixture evenly over the chicken mixture.
Step 14 –Place the skillet on the top oven rack and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes.
Step 15 –Adjust the oven temperature to broil and broil the chicken bake until the top is golden-brown, about 1 -2 minutes.
Step 16 –Allow the chicken bake to cool for at least 5 minutes.
Step 17 –Serve.
