Marry Me Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound elbow macaroni pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil, from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
Instructions
- 1
Cook the chicken - Season the cutlets well with Italian seasoning and salt. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, sear the chicken until browned for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and set aside; the chicken will not be fully cooked. If needed, cook in batches.
- 2
Meanwhile, cook the pasta - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente, 8 to 9 minutes. Drain and briefly rinse to prevent sticking.
- 3
Preheat oven to 400°F - Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray or grease it with butter.
- 4
Make the sauce - In a large pot over medium heat (you can use the same pot you used for pasta here), add the butter and sun-dried tomato oil. Add the flour and whisk together to form a roux. Whisk until the flour turns a tan color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and heavy cream in batches to form a thin gravy. Work slowly to prevent clumping. After the gravy has thickened, stir in the cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of the grated Parmesan (reserve 1/2 cup for topping). Once the cheeses have melted, taste the sauce and season with salt as needed. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Stir well to combine.
- 5
Bake the casserole - Fold the cooked pasta into the sauce and stir well to combine. Transfer the creamy pasta to the baking dish. Nestle the chicken cutlets on top. In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, reserved 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Top the casserole with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 30 minutes until bubbling and crispy on top. Let cool briefly before serving.
