One Pot Cheesy Chicken Penne
This one-pot cheesy chicken pasta is doused in Manwich sauce and full of flavor. An easy and budget-friendly meal.
This one-pot cheesy chicken pasta is doused in Manwich sauce and full of flavor. An easy and budget-friendly meal.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- salt & pepper
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 (15 oz.) can manwich bold + 1 can water
- 2 cups chicken broth (or 14.5 oz. can)
- 3 cups dry penne
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (i used 1/2 sharp 1/2 regular)
- 3/4 cup cubed velveeta cheese (or 5 slices)
- Carbohydrate 67.7775022815633 g
- Cholesterol 550.047708502436 mg
- Fat 123.9196530312 g
- Fiber 0.0194287928716815 g
- Protein 131.422239445025 g
- Saturated Fat 53.1076217712384 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (1138g)
- Sodium 1158.61228132518 mg
- Sugar 67.7580734886916 g
- Trans Fat 8.77199910844728 g
- Calories 1925 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat butter in a large pot (deep enough to cook pasta in).
- Add onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
- Cut chicken breasts into pieces of desired size. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add chicken to pot mixture and cook slowly over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is mostly white and no longer pink.
- Add chicken broth, Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe Sauce, water and pasta to the pot. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted throughout, reserving a handful of shredded cheese to sprinkle on the top.
- Cover for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt, and stir.
- Serve.
Swapping the canned sloppy joe sauce for homemade tomato paste and vinegar fundamentally alters the sugar profile and will cause the starches to scorch on the bottom of the pot. Cooking pasta directly in a heavily spiced tomato base requires precise liquid management. Starch molecules from the dry penne hydrate and release into the cooking liquid simultaneously, creating the thickening agent for the sauce. Pouring the exact ratio of two cups of chicken broth plus one can of water provides the necessary hydration window for three cups of dry pasta to reach al dente before the liquid completely evaporates. Sautéing the chopped onions and minced garlic in two tablespoons of butter for precisely five minutes breaks down the sulfur compounds in the aromatics without browning the dairy solids past bitterness. Cutting the chicken breasts into uniform pieces ensures equal cooking times during the fifteen-minute medium-heat simmer, preventing rubbery protein while the interior reaches food-safe temperatures. Combining sharp cheddar and processed Velveeta cheese creates a dual-action emulsion where the sodium citrate in the processed cheese stabilizes the fat separation from the aged cheddar. Stirring the cheese off the heat prevents the proteins from tightening into a grainy grease slick. Covering the pot for three minutes traps ambient heat to complete the melt. Substituting standard cheddar entirely for Velveeta changes the structural integrity of the sauce, resulting in a monochromatic texture lacking sharp flavor compounds.
