White Cheddar & Ranch Chicken Penne
with Caramelized & Crispy Onion
You know that friend who just makes everything fun? Ranch dressing is the cooking equivalent of that friend—the creamy condiment just makes everything better! Case in point: this white cheddar and ranch chicken penne. Long gone are the days of just drizzling ranch on mixed green salads. Now, you’ll swirl it into cheesy sauce for penne, then top it with herby chicken and crispy fried onions. You + ranch = best friends forever!
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
1 unit
Yellow Onion
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1 tablespoon
Ranch Spice
1 tablespoon
Flour
(Contains Wheat)
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
½ cup
White Cheddar Cheese
(Contains Milk)
1.5 ounce
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
(Contains Eggs, Milk)
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.
• In a medium bowl, toss half the onion with half the flour (you’ll use the rest in step 5). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. • Heat a 1⁄3-inch layer of oil in a large, heavy- bottomed pan over medium- low heat. Once oil is hot enough that a pinch of flour sizzles when added to the pan, add floured onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7-9 minutes. • Using a slotted spoon, transfer crispy onion to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels and season all over with half the Ranch Spice (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. Set aside. • While onion cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a second large pan over medium- high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. TIP: If chicken begins to brown too quickly, lower heat to medium and cover pan. • Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Wipe out pan.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• Heat 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in pan used for chicken over medium heat. Add remaining onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, 6-9 minutes. Add a few splashes of plain water and cook until onion is caramelized and liquid has evaporated, 1-2 minutes more. • Add remaining flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is golden, 30-60 seconds. Slowly whisk in 3⁄4 cup reserved pasta cooking water (1 1⁄4 cups for 4) and stock concentrate; cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes more. • Remove from heat; stir in cheddar and ranch dressing until melted and combined.
• Add drained penne to pan with sauce and toss to coat. If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper. • Slice chicken crosswise. • Divide pasta between bowls. Top with chicken and sprinkle with crispy onion. Serve.
