Buffalo Hot Sauce Chicken Pasta Bake

 There are various recipes that we come back to time and time again and this is one of them. It's a recipe from Slimming Eats which is a diety kind of recipe but it's really delicious served with a nice salad and there's no need to be dieting to enjoy it. 

It's dead easy to prepare and the quantities here serve 4 

Ingredients

400g Chicken thigh or breast meat chopped into bite size pieces

1 Large Onion Diced

1 Clove Garlic Minced or chopped finely

1 Teaspoon Paprika ( I used sweet )

1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes

2 Large Tablespoons Tomato Paste

100mls Franks Hot Sauce ( or any that you like ) 

350g Fresh sliced tomatoes

249g Dried pasta ( penne is good )

Little olive oil ( spray if dieting )

Salt and pepper

For The Topping

100g Light cream cheese

240mls Chicken stock

1 Tablespoon Cornflour

1/2 Teaspoon Onion powder

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Granules

1 Teaspoon Dried mixed herbs

30g Strong cheddar grated

50g Mozzarella grated ( or finely chopped )

2 Spring onions finely chopped 

Spray a frying pan with cooking oil spray ( or add a little to a pan ) 

Add the onion and fry until lightly golden and softened
Spray with a little more spray oil
Add in the chicken, paprika, garlic and a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper and fry until the chicken is browned and has a lovely colour from the paprika.
Add in a little splash of water just to deglaze the pan of anything stuck to the bottom.
Then add in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce and diced fresh tomatoes and stir to combine, just simmering for a few minutes until the tomatoes are slightly softened.
Cook pasta in boiling salting water until al dente. 

Add this into the sauce and mix to combine, then add to a oven proof dish.
Preheat oven to 200c/ 180c/ 400f or gas mark 6
In a saucepan or frying pan, add the cream cheese, garlic and onion powder, plus dried herbs along with the stock and heat whisking as you do until the cream cheese is all melted and you have no lumps visible.
Mix the cornflour with a little water a couple of tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Then add this to the sauce and allow to bubble stirring every now and then until the sauce thickens.

Once thickened spread this over the top of the pasta bake (kind of like you would with a lasagne).
Scatter the grated cheeses on top and then place in the oven baking for approx 20 minutes just until the cheese has melted and is lightly golden on top.

Sprinkle with the spring onions and serve.