This recipe makes for a quick dinner. I knew I would be in a rush the night I made this, so I worked ahead.

Not only is it easy, since you have substituted chicken for beef, you are a bit more heart healthy. And you can even make other substitutions as needed.

All you need is pasta, a rotisserie chicken, and pasta sauce. If you want to get fancy, you can dust the final dish with your favorite Italian cheese such as Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

You will need:

A rotisserie chicken, deboned – I use about two cups of the chicken cut or shredded into bite size pieces
1 lb. bag of Penne Rigate pasta or your favorite pasta
24 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce – I use Rao’s Tomato Basil Sauce

Prepare the pasta according to package direction. Drain and return to the cooking pot. Add the sauce and chicken. Stir over low heat to warm the chicken and sauce.

Serve immediately with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

If you are going to have a busy night, a night or two before you want to serve this dish, go ahead and debone your chicken. While you are doing that, boil the pasta. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the chicken, pasta and sauce. When you are ready to serve, just microwave the dish until hot. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

The first time I made this, I thought my husband was eating it just to fill his stomach. I was a bit surprised, since he doesn’t eat leftovers, that the next day he asked me if there was any of this dish left for his lunch! It was a winner at my house!

Substituting the chicken for ground beef really does lighten the flavor of the dish as well as making it that much faster to prepare.

Additional Information: I am a fan of rotisserie chickens. They save so much time and can be used as a substitute in so many chicken dishes. I have found that a rotisserie chicken costs less than a whole uncooked chicken, plus you save time and money preparing it.

I used to buy a rotisserie chicken and leave it in the fridge until I needed it. However, I now debone the chicken as soon as I get it home from the store. Since it is still warm, it makes it so much easier to pull the meat from the bone. It also makes it easier to store in the fridge. Instead of maneuvering around a domed oval, I put the chicken meat in a dish with a flat top so that other items can be stored on top. It is just so convenient to have on hand! Cold chicken and mayo makes a pretty good sandwich.