Baked Chicken Rigatoni with Sweet Corn, Zucchini and a Roasted Poblano Béchamel

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5 from 3 votes

Baked Chicken Rigatoni with Sweet Corn, Zucchini and a Roasted Poblano Béchamel

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Italian-american

Servings:

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces dry rigatoni
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large zucchini, chopped
1 tablespoon minced oregano
1 tablespoon minced basil
1 cup sweet corn kernels
2 heaping cups cooked and shredded (boneless-skinless) chicken breast

roasted poblano béchamel

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
14 ounces whole milk
2 roasted poblano peppers, skinned, seeded and chopped**
7 ounces shredded Oaxaca cheese can sub Monterey jack Cheese
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

garnish

lime wedges
cilantro leaves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a baking dish with butter and set aside.
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil, over high heat. Add a small handful of salt and rigatoni and boil for 5 to 6 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally.
Drain pasta, reserving 3 tablespoons pasta water and pour into a large mixing bowl and toss with 1 table of oil.
Pour remaining oil into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat.
Add shallot, garlic and zucchini and sauté for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the oregano, basil and corn and continue to sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken sauté for 1 minute.
Pour mixture over cooked rigatoni, lightly season with salt and pepper and toss together. Set aside.
For roasted poblano béchamel: Place saucepan back onto stovetop and melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to whisk until no lumps remain and flour has cooked though, about 3 minutes. Add milk and whisk until no lumps remain.
Simmer until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a wooden spoon. Stir in chopped poblanos and 2 ounces of shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool for 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour béchamel into the well of a blender, along with reserved pasta water, and seal shut with lid. Remove plastic cover portion of lid and replace it with a clean dishtowel. Blend béchamel for 2 to 3 minutes or until completely smooth.
To assemble: Pour béchamel over rigatoni mixture, add 2 ounces of shredded Oaxaca, and lime juice and adjust seasonings; then toss together. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and top with remaining 3 ounces of shredded cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until dish is hot, bubbly and top is golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow rigatoni to cool for about 10 minutes.
Top with cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges.

Notes

**To Roast Poblano Peppers:
-Place poblano peppers into a baking sheet and place under a broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes, carefully flipping with tongs every 2 minutes until the outside is completely charred. Transfer charred peppers to a heat-safe mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Uncover and clean away the charred peel from the peppers as well as the stems and seeds.

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