Mary Berry’s chicken pasta bake is perfect for the entire family and bakes in 20 minutes

Mary Berry’s chicken pasta bake is a wonderfully comforting and easy-to-make dish that’s perfect for the whole family

Mary Berry has revealed countless pasta recipes during her illustrious career, all remarkably straightforward to prepare. Among them is her chicken pasta bake, which has garnered more than 170 four-star reviews on BBC Food. The recipe indicates it can be ready in less than 30 minutes.

The recipe notes stated: “A wonderfully comforting chicken pasta bake, this can be made ahead and will go down really well with the family.” It serves six to eight people, and Mary also suggested adding peppers if tomatoes aren’t to your taste.

Ingredients:

For the pasta:

Butter, for greasing

250g penne

One onion, roughly chopped

Three skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

One tablespoon of paprika

Two tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and black pepper

For the sauce:

50g butter

50g plain flour

750ml hot milk

One teaspoon of Dijon mustard

100g Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

Two large tomatoes, deseeded and cut into small cubes

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan, then grease a shallow 1.75 litre ovenproof dish with butter.

Cook the penne with the onion in boiling, salted water following package directions. Drain, refresh under cold water and leave to drain once more in the colander.

Place the chicken strips in a resealable freezer bag with the paprika and a touch of salt and pepper, seal the bag and shake to coat thoroughly.

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and rapidly fry the chicken over high heat for two minutes until golden and just cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.

To prepare the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the flour and whisk until smooth, creating a roux.

Cook for one minute, then steadily add the hot milk, whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Allow to boil for four minutes before stirring in the mustard and half of the cheese, seasoning to taste.

Tip the pasta and onion into the pan with the sauce, stirring everything together.

Spoon half of this mixture into the dish, lay the chicken strips on top, then spoon the remaining pasta and sauce over the chicken.

Scatter the tomatoes across the top, then finish with the remaining cheese.

Place in the oven for around 20 minutes until thoroughly heated through and golden brown on top.