White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

This recipe has been making its way around the food blog world for a while, so I had to give it a try. It's a creamy and cheesy sauce with a hint of Dijon mustard served over herbed chicken and pasta - sounds delicious, doesn't it? It was!

The sauce reminded me a lot of the Dijon-chive sauce I made for pork, found here.

The recipe is originally by Homemade by Holman, and I first saw it on the Taste of Home Cooking blog. I made some minor changes, so my version is below.

Ingredients
For the chicken:

• 1 pound chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 pound penne pasta
  

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  
• Season chicken with the dry mustard, thyme, salt and pepper
  
• When pan is hot, add chicken and brown about on all sides until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.
• Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet you used to cook the chicken. Add garlic and onions and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add the flour and whisk to combine.
  
• Add wine; cook about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low and add broth, cream, thyme, oregano, and Dijon, stirring to combine. Cook about 5-7 minutes more until mixture begins to thicken.
  
• Add cheddar cheese, stirring to melt cheese.
  
• Add chicken and pasta and toss to incorporate sauce.
  
• Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Loved this - nice and creamy, and I loved the combination of the sharp cheddar with the Dijon mustard. I will definitely make this one again!