Description
This Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti recipe is made with a lightened-up alfredo sauce, and is always so comforting and delicious. See notes above for possible ingredient variations.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Baked Ziti Ingredients:
- 12 ounces uncooked ziti (or any pasta shape)
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)
- 1 batch alfredo sauce (see below)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- toppings: lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, finely-chopped fresh basil or parsley
Alfredo Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
To Make The Chicken Baked Ziti:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Mist a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Cook the pasta al dente in a large stockpot of well-salted boiling according to package instructions. Drain. Return pasta to the stockpot and add chicken and alfredo sauce. Gently toss to combine until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Pour half of the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of mozzarella. Layer the remaining half of the pasta evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and just barely starts to turn golden. Remove and serve immediately, sprinkled with additional toppings if desired.
To Make The Alfredo Sauce:
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
- Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
