What attracted me to this recipe was the jalapeño monterey jack cheese. Monterey jack cheese is my favorite cheese. I like the spiciness and the creaminess. This recipe is excellent. It’s super simple, inexpensive, and it has a restaurant quality about it. It might not be the most visually appealing meal, but the flavor is appealing enough. One tip I recommend is instead of pouring the sauce over the pasta, mix the pasta in to the sauce so that the sauce gets inside the penne. This will allow the sauce to get into the pasta, and just makes it even better. I did not do that when we had this for dinner, but we had the leftovers for lunch and I tried it. It really did make a difference.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbs of bacon bits (pre-cooked do not use immitation, or bacos)
- 2 boneless chicken breasts (pre-cooked or 1 small can of chicken)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I use a mild jalapeno)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 8 ounces of shredded jalapeno monterey jack pepper cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- Over medium heat sauté in butter, bacon bits, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic until just tender.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add 3/4 cup of the broth, and the milk. Cook and stir until bubbly.
- Stir in cheese and sour cream; then add the cooked chicken.
- If the sauce is too thick, add the remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Cook penne pasta according to package directions, drain well, then add to sauce.
