Creamy Chicken Pasta

​Those of you who read my blog regularly, are probably surprised to see me blogging a pasta with a white cream sauce. Generally, I try to avoid heavy cream sauces with lots of cheese. I find them quite tasty but I don't like the consequences that they have on my waist.  I found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine and it looked like a nice creamy sauce without all the fat.  I decided to give it a try.  I even made a few more changes to the recipe to make it even healthier, like swapping whole wheat pasta for regular pasta and using a light marscarpone cheese in place of the full fat version. I was pleased with the results - pasta in a creamy white cheese sauce that doesn't break the calorie bank.  Score.

Creamy Chicken Pasta
9 ounces orecchiette pasta
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup half and half
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup parsley, fresh
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
8 ounces chopped mushrooms
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

​Cook pasta according to directions.

​Heat skillet and coat with cooking spray.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan.

​Saute until browned.

​Combine 1/4 cup stock and flour.  

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​Add flour mixture to chicken along with remaining 3/4 cup stock and half and half.
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Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mascarpone.
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In another skillet cook onions, garlic, thyme and mushrooms for 5 minutes.  

Stir in vinegar and mustard.  Add to chicken mixture along with pasta.

 Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve.

​These are the nutrition facts that were provided with the recipe as it was printed in the magazine.  
Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2013
Serving size 1 1/3 cups
Calories 364
Fat 14.3g
Protein 23.2g
Carbohydrates 36.3g
Fiber 2.3g
Cholesterol 67mg
Iron 2.4mg
Sodium 336mg
Calcium 67mg

Not bad for a creamy pasta dinner.  The biggest thing is that my family liked it too.  No one even suspected that it was a reduced fat version.  Shhh ... lets just keep that information between you and me.

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe