Champagne Chicken Pasta Bake

Thank you Cristina "Rappa!" for the inspiration for this great recipe! (For those of you who aren't familiar, Cristina has a great blog with lots of tasty and easy recipes - check her out!)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed
• 12 oz bow tie pasta
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup butter (I used light butter with canola oil)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup champagne (sweet, not rose')
• 1 cup cream (I used fat free half 'n half)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• salt & fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1. Add the flour, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp salt, and chicken pieces to a large ziploc bag. Mix well so the chicken is coated evenly.
2. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil until melted and combined. Add the onions and mushrooms, let them cook for a few minutes until the onions are softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the chicken and cook 5-7 minutes, turning regularly until all sides are browned.
4. Add the champagne and continue to cook another 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the frozen peas.
MEANWHILE:
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (10 minutes-ish). Drain in a colander.
6. Combine the cream and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Add 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt to the cream mixture. Pour it in to the skillet and mix well.
7. Mix the pasta with the chicken and stir well. (If it doesn't all fit in the skillet, transfer it to the large baking dish and mix it there).
8.Add the pasta to a large baking dish, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Transfer it to the oven and heat for 10 minutes. This will let the pasta soak up the sauce.
9. Switch the oven to broil. *Watch it closely!* As soon as the bread crumbs are toasted you should pull it from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes and serve with fresh parsley over the top.

Serves: 6
WW: 11 pts/serving