Creamy Buffalo Penne

Hopefully now I have my life back together- so sorry for last week. I was sick and generally, when you're sick, the last thing you want is to make real food.

I could show you my super-secret recipe for canned chicken soup from the microwave, saltine crackers and sprite, but something tells me that no one wants to see that. 

However, with enough rest I was feeling loads better this weekend, and was able to do some cooking I am actually quite proud of, and will share with you this week! First off, Buffalo Chicken Penne. 

This recipe was both simple and challenging. It required me to do a lot of things that I had never done before- boiling and shredding chicken, making a cream sauce, minimizing the number of pans I used (five, due to a lot of mis-measuring on my part). However, when it was all done, this dish was delicious.

You will need: 

1 pound of Chicken Breasts, either halved or cubed

1 package (8 oz) of Cream Cheese  

1/3 cup (or more!) of Buffalo Sauce

1/2 cup of Chicken Broth

1 tsp of Paprika

1/2 tsp of Black Pepper

1 tsp of Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp of Kosher Salt

3/4 cup (or more!) of Blue Cheese Dressing

12 oz (about 3/4 of a box) of uncooked Penne Pasta

Green Onions (to taste)

Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

1. First, take the chicken, put it in a medium pot, fill with enough water to cover the chicken, cover, and bring to a boil until the chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees Fahrenheit)
• For boneless, skinless breasts that aren't cut, it should take 15-20 minutes to fully cook
• For two-inch chunks, it should take around 10 minutes. 
• My battle with the Walmart chicken breasts has been well-documented on this blog. However, I finally worked through that bag, making it possible for me to buy new chicken which looks, cooks, and tastes a million times better! (Thank you Hannah for introducing me to Trader Joes!)
2. While the chicken boils, boil the pasta according to the instructions on the box. It's pasta. If you don't know how to make pasta... well, I know how to make pasta. You'll be fine.
3. Now for the sauce. Melt the 8 oz of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of buffalo sauce (or more! READ: MORE) and 1/2 cup of chicken broth in the largest pan you have. I used both a 12", and then a 13" omelette pan. Also, I didn't even know you could melt cream cheese. You learn something new every day! Stir every thirty seconds. 

   

   The sauce after simmering

4. Once the cream cheese is fully melted, add in 1 tsp of paprika, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. Stir in and let the sauce simmer on low heat for five minutes. 

   

   Before mixing in the bleu cheese

5. Add in 3/4 cup of bleu cheese dressing to the sauce. Stir in and let simmer for another ten minutes. 
6. By this time, the chicken and the pasta should both be done. Turn off the heat, and drain the pasta in a colander. 
7. Remove Chicken with either tongs or a slotted spoon. Place on cutting board, and shred with two forks. Another first! It is just as it sounds- as long as you work while the chicken is hot, it will shred easily.
8. Add the shredded chicken and the the penne to the sauce, mix in and let simmer for five minutes. I had to switch to the larger pan I had at this point- too much food in one space.
9. Add sliced green onions and crushed red pepper flakes to the top to taste and enjoy!

   

   All mixed together

The original recipe says that this serves two. Look at that last picture. There is no way that this serves two. Maybe two squared. Maybe even two cubed. What matters is that this recipe makes a lot. Which is great for me- now I'll have leftovers for the next few days, or I can freeze it to eat down the line. 

Having been "cooking"- or attempting to do so- for the last three months, this is one of the first episodes where I didn't feel nervous. I just... cooked. And while the recipe was fairly simple, most of the things it required were things I didn't even know how to do three months ago. Not bad for one quarter of a year!

To everyone who's been reading, commenting, and suggesting tips and recipes, thank you so much! I truly appreciate it. I've really enjoyed this endeavor and look forward to seeing how I can improve in the next three months before graduation! If you have any suggestions for recipes or techniques to try, please don't hesitate to comment below or email me at dontexpectmiraclesblog@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!