Easy cheesy chicken and vegetable pasta bake

The first thing to do is get the pasta on to boil, according to the instructions on the packet. I like to use a large twirly-shaped pasta, but you can use any shape of your choice.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain through a colander and place into the baking dish.

For this recipe you will need chicken breasts and you should allow between 80 and 100 grams (or 3 to 3.5 ounces) of chicken per person.

This is my quick and easy way of poaching a chicken breast. Cooking the chicken in this way ensures that the chicken always comes out perfectly moist and juicy, and is never dry.

Place the uncooked chicken breasts in a saucepan of cold water and add salt to taste, and plently of freshly ground black pepper. Cover the saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. As soon as the water comes to a steady boil, turn off the heat and leave the chicken in the water until it is cool enough to handle.

If you cut the chicken breast in half you will see that it is perfectly white and cooked through. If the chicken still has a touch of pink to it, don’t worry. It will finish off cooking in the oven once it has been assembled with the rest of the ingredients for this chicken pasta bake.

Cut the chicken breasts into approximately 1″ (2.5 cm) pieces.

I’ve used leeks, broccoli, tomatoes and mushrooms for the vegetables in this pasta bake, but you can use whatever vegetables you prefer. For 4 people you will need approximately 4 cups of vegetables. The vegetables will all be cooked in the microwave before being added to the pasta bake.

Slice the leeks and break the broccoli into small florets. Place the vegetables into small microwave safe bowls (image 1 above), and cover with clingfilm. Cook the leeks on full power for 4 minutes and the broccoli for 3 minutes. Depending on the wattage of your microwave you may need to adjust this time slightly. My microwave is 900 watts.

Do the same with the tomatoes and mushrooms (image 2 above) and cook each of these in the microwave for 3 minutes on full power.

Cook each vegetable separately for the time given. Do not cook them together in the microwave as the timings will not be correct.

Add the cooked vegetables and cooked chicken to the pasta in the baking dish (images 3 and 4 above).

No pasta bake is complete without a delicious creamy cheesy sauce. This is my foolproof method for making the cheese sauce without any lumps.

• Melt butter in a pan and stir in the cornflour/cornstarch. Mix well to remove any lumps (image 1 above).
• Pour in the milk and allow to come to the boil. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens (image 2 above). The consistency should be that of thick custard, and a spoon should leave a trail when drawn through it.
• Add the grated cheese and stir until melted (image 3 above).
• Season with salt and plenty of ground black pepper (image 4 above).

Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and vegetables in the baking dish and mix well to combine (image 1 above) and cover with grated cheese (image 2 above).Place the baking dish in a preheated oven (190C / 380F) for approximately 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown (image 3 above).Serve immediately with a green leafy salad.