2cupschicken, cooked and diced/cubed into bite sized pieces*about 1 lb. of chicken
1 cupbacon, cooked and crumbled*you can add more or less
4cups milk, 2% or whole
18 oz. blockcream cheese*not low fat or light cream cheese
4 1/2tbspflour
2 1/2tspgarlic powder
2tspkosher salt
2tbspbutter
3tspbottled, minced garlic or 6 fresh garlic cloves minced
1 1/2cups parmesan cheese, grated
1cupmozzarella cheese, grated*or more (for topping)
1box (16 oz. or 1 lb.)Penne Pasta, cooked a little underdone*ziti, bowtie or rigatoni works great too
dried parsley*for appearance after baking (optional)
Instructions
Cook your pasta leaving it a little underdone. It will finish cooking and get a little more tender in the oven. You can also cook your pasta while you are making your sauce. Make sure to drain your pasta well and run some cold water over it so it stops cooking (the hot steam as it sits can cause it cook a little bit more).
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl or large liquid measuring cup, add your milk, flour, garlic powder and kosher salt. Whisk together making sure the flour is mixed well and there are no lumps.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt your butter and add the minced garlic. Let it cook until garlic becomes fragrant.
Pour your milk mixture into the hot skillet with the butter and garlic. Whisk it until it's well combined. It should start to thicken.
Once the milk mixture gets hot, add your block of cream cheese. Whisk it until it's melted and fully incorporated.
Add your parmesan cheese and whisk until fully melted. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Add your cooked chicken and cooked bacon crumbles to the alfredo sauce. Mix well. Then add the cooked pasta and mix it all together.
Dump the mixed pasta in your greased 9x13 baking dish. Spread it evenly in the baking dish.
Tightly cover the dish with foil. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the dish is heated through.
Remove the foil from the pasta dish and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top. Let it bake (without the foil) for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted to your liking.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. You can sprinkle the top with some dried parsley if desired (this is totally for looks).
Serve amd enjoy!
Notes
This pasta dish serves about 8, but could easily serve more depending on the serving size.You can also add mushrooms, broccoli, or green onions to this dish.If your sauce never thickens, you can make a cornstarch slurry and add it to the simmering sauce. Just mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and mix it well. Slowly add it to the hot and simmering sauce and whisk it in. It should thicken pretty fast. If it still doesn't, make and add some more cornstarch and cold water slurry to the sauce.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.