I stole this recipe for One Pot Parmesan Chicken Ziti with Artichokes & Spinach from the Betty Crocker mobile app. It is a great weeknight meal, everything cooks in one pot and is ready in under 40 minutes. The recipe calls for rotisserie chicken, but you can substitute with chicken you cook yourself. When you finish cooking, the pasta has a creamy flavorful sauce and makes an outstanding meal that is quick and easy to make.
“Nearly everyone wants as least one outstanding meal a day.” – Duncan Hines, writer, Adventures in Good Eating (see more quotes in the Quotes tab)
Cook 2 chicken breasts, seasoned to your liking in the dutch oven or large pot first.
Remove the cooked chicken to shred, leaving the seasoning that cooked to the bottom of the pot
Heat 4 cups water, 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, 1 tsp salt and 2 minced cloves garlic to simmering over medium heat. Scrap bottom of pot to pull up the seasoning that cooked to the bottom when cooking the chicken.
Add 1 lb uncooked ziti pasta.
Simmer 12-14 minutes, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender.
In medium bowl, beat 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk and 2 tsp cornstarch.
Stir in shredded chicken and 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped.
Transfer chicken mixture to pot, return to simmering and continue to simmer 1-3 minutes or until thickened and mixture coats back of a spoon.
Remove from heat; stir in 3 oz shredded Parmesan cheese and juice of 2 medium lemons.
Stir until cheese melts, then add ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (reserving ¼ cup for serving if desired) and 2 tbsp butter; stir again.
Add 4 cups baby spinach
and stir until wilted.
Serve with reserved ¼ cup cheese and ½ tsp pepper.
Parmesan Chicken Ziti with Artichokes & Spinach
A one pot weeknight meal. Shredded chicken, artichokes and spinach are cooked in a Parmesan sauce. Rotisserie chicken makes this even quicker to make. From stove to table in under 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 cans (12 oz each) evaporated milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb uncooked ziti pasta
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken
- 14 oz Progresso™ artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
- 6 oz shredded Parmesan cheese ~1 ½ cups
- 2 medium lemons, juiced, ~⅔ cup
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 cups baby spinach 5 oz package
- ½ tsp pepper if desired
Instructions
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Heat water, 1 can evaporated milk, salt, garlic and pasta to simmering over medium heat. Simmer 12-14 minutes, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender.
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In medium bowl, beat remaining can of evaporated milk and cornstarch, stir in chicken and artichoke hearts. Add to mixture in Dutch oven, return to simmering and continue to simmer 1-3 minutes or until thickened and mixture coats back of a spoon.
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Remove from heat; stir in half of cheese and lemon juice. Stir until cheese melts, then add remaining cheese (reserving ¼ cup for serving if desired) and butter; stir again.
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Add spinach and stir until wilted. Serve with reserved cheese and pepper.
Recipe Notes
Instead of rotisserie chicken, I cook 2 chicken breasts myself, seasoned in the pot first. I remove the chicken to shred, leaving the seasoning that cooked to the bottom of the pot; I scrap the bottom of the pot once I add the water to loosen the seasoning and to mixture into the recipe. Look at the pasta box, based on the recommended cooking time, cook 1 minute less for the first step then continue in the recipe. If you cook the noodles the first step for 14 minutes, then keep following the cooking instructions the noodles become very soggy. The recipe cooks longer than you first realize after the initial step. I use one can of regular evaporated milk and one can of fat free evaporated milk, the sauce still came out creamy just not as thick. You can also use two cans of fat free evaporated milk, the sauce with just be thinner.