Cheesy Chicken Bake

CHEESY CHICKEN BAKE
I found the original recipe to this on realmomkitchen.com,  I did make a few of my own minor adjustments to this recipe.  I'll post the recipe in its original form, then at the bottom of this page I'll list what I did differently.
During the fall/winter seasons, pasta bakes are one of my favorite dishes to prepare. I tried this recipe for the first time last night for dinner.  Even before it was time to pull it out of the oven I knew it had earned a spot into my recipe binder.  The aroma alone was enough!!! My husband and I struggle with dinner time meals often since he is a red meat and potato kinda guy and I'd be perfectly happy with pastas, soups and salads any night of the week.  After his inital bite he said "I'll eat a pasta dish like this anytime!" It truly was a delish dish!  I think this would be a perfect Sunday dinner dish as it took some time to prepare.  Total prep/cook time for me was about an hour and a half.  (Although it might not take someone else as long because I had to step away a few times to tend to my little Carson.) The photos I'll be including do not do this dish justice.  If the ingredients used sound like something you'd like then I suggest you give this pasta bake a try.  You will NOT be disappointed!!  The recipe makes a TON of pasta, so I divided it into two baking dishes and froze one for future use.  Unless you plan to serve about 8-10 people then I suggest you do the same.
INGREDIENTS:
6 TBSP butter, plus more for baking dishes
kosher salt and black pepper
1 lb penne rigate
1 tsp olive oil (I never measure olive oil, I may have used more)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts halved horizontally
1/2 C plus 2 TBSP flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced ( Yay for garlic!)
6 C whole milk
10 OZ white, button or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 C sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 C shredded provolone
1 1/2 C freshly grated parmesan
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Preheat oven to 400.  Butter two shallow 2-qt baking dishes.  If your going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente.  Drain pasta and set aside.
2.) While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook unitl opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes per side.  Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes) Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
3.) In a 5qt dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium.  Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute.  Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 C parmesan.
4.) Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste.  Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes.  If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-loc baggie.  If cooking, sprinkle on top.
5.) Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
IF FREEZING:  Prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool.  Cover your pan well with plastic wrap.  Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil.  Freeze for up to three months.  (I wrote the date on mine for easy reference)  To bake, preheat oven to 400.  Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.  NOTE: no need to defrost prior to baking.
MY MINOR CHANGES:
I used cooking spray on the bottoms of my baking dishes instead of using extra butter.
I didn't bother with all that mumbo jumbo about how to cut the chicken; I just diced it up into bite sized chunks before cooking it.
Instead of whole milk I used 2%
I went with cremini mushrooms
For the shredded provolone, I used an italian blend that had provolone in it.
During step four, I added italian seasonings along with the salt and pepper.

just out of the oven, hot and bubbly.

YUMMY!!!!