Cheesy Baked Chicken and Pasta

Prep15 min
Cook40 min
Total: 55 min

Ingredients

2 bags Farfalle pasta (or any pasta)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups half and half
3 cups cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) jar Sundried tomatoes in oil
¾ can box frozen green peas
2 cups shredded mozzarella
3 TBS butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 TBS flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
4 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender and drain.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, add salt and pepper and stir to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. In the sauté pan add 3 TBS butter and flour, whisk it until it gets thick and slowly add the half and half until you get a thick sauce. When sauce is blended and thickened add in the cup of grated cheese and the parsley and mix well. Chop up the sun dried tomatoes, add them and the peas in.
Stir all to combine. Lastly add the mozzarella. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.