Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

This was delicious but I would double the penne pasta — there was a lot of sauce. I also added a bag of broccoli to give it some bulk! Delicious!

Ingredients:

•     6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
•     kosher salt and black pepper
•     1 pound penne rigate (I used a 14.5 oz box of Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate)
•     1 teaspoon olive oil
•     2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally (I used some leftover cooked chicken)
•     1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
•     6 garlic cloves, finely minced
•     6 cups whole milk
•     10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used 8 oz of button mushrooms)
•     1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
•     1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) (I used an italian blend that had provolone in it)
•     1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. 
3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
4. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
5. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. 
6. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). 
7. Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
8. Since I used left over chicken, I just cooked the mushrooms in the olive oil
9. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium.
10. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. 
11. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more.
12. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute.
13. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
14. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste.
15. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. 
16. If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. 
17. If cooking, sprinkle on top.
18. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes.
19. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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