White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

I asked the girls to give me a list of ingredients that they would want in their dinner that they wouldn't say "ewww gross!", "what is that green thing???", "is that cheese in there???".  They gave me their list...chicken and pasta.  :l  So this was my attempt to appease them but sneak in a few other ingredients.  I was hoping that since the cheese is white, my queso loving/cheese hater wouldn't even notice.  She didn't notice the cheese but I think there was smoke coming out of their ears when they ate it.  I swear there must be some kind of chemical reaction between Dijon mustard and wine that ups the spiciness level.  Johnny didn't even use his Red Devil sauce on this one!  It was really, really good though.  I would just suggest adjusting the Dijon amount for kids.  Taylor still practically inhaled the entire plate, she just needed about 2 glasses of milk to wash it down.  I used my new leopard knife to trim the chicken and the rest of the wine for later.  I tried to find a helpful chart that explained the different types of knives and what to use them for, mainly because I had no idea what I was supposed to do with a mini leopard ax...  I didn't find a great one. Cutco had the best one I could find.  I did learn that you aren't supposed to put knives in the dishwasher because it dulls the blades.  (probably helps to sharpen them occasionally too :) )

White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

Chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts,  cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp dry mustard
1 T thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Mix together mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and sprinkle over chicken.
Add chicken and brown until cooked through.
Remove to a plate and cover with foil.

Pasta:
14.5oz rotini pasta (I used Barilla Plus)

Heat water to boiling in a large stock pot for pasta, add salt and pasta. Cook 10 minutes and drain.

Sauce:

2 T butter

2 T flour

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 T Dijon mustard (use less if you want it less spicy)

8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups milk

Crushed red pepper flakes (about 1 tsp)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add flour and whisk.
Add wine, garlic and mustard.  Mix until combined.
Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk, stirring to combine.
Cook about 5-7 minutes more until mixture begins to thicken.
Add cheese and stir to melt.
Add chicken and pasta to sauce and mix.
Top with crushed red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.

Servings: 7
Calories: 520
Fat: 20
Fiber: 5

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