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Negresco

Negresco Recipe (Egyptian Pasta-Chicken Bake)

Nermine Mansour
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course lunch
Cuisine Egyptian
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Equipment

Ingredients
  

Negresco

  • 400 grams tagliatelle or fettuccine pasta , al dente
  • 2 poached large chicken breasts , recipe follows
  • 5 cups béchamel sauce , recipe follows
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup grated cheddar or/and mozzarella

Poached Chicken and Chicken Broth

  • ¼ cup ghee
  • 2-4 mastic resin
  • 1 yellow onion , quartered
  • 1 celery stalk , chopped in chunks
  • 5 whole garlic cloves
  • 1 carrot , chopped in chunks
  • 1 teaspoon whole all-spice berries
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • ½ teaspoon black Pepper

Béchamel Sauce

  • 5 tablespoons ghee or butter
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups full-fat milk
  • ¼ cup cream cheese or clotted cream
  • ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt of sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup Chicken broth

Pasta

  • 400 grams Fettuccine or tagliatelle pasta
  • 4 liters water
  • 1 tablespoon Himalayan or sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter , at room temperature

Instructions
 

Poach the chicken and make the chicken broth

  • Add 1/4 cup ghee to a large size heavy bottom pan over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the resin beads (see notes) and let them melt in the ghee. Sear the large breasts in the hot ghee on all sides. Add the garlic, chopped vegetables, and whole spices, and stir until it welts. Pour in 1.5 liters of boiling water. Bring the chicken broth to a vigorous boil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, and then lower the heat and let the broth gently simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Turn off the heat and filter the broth using a fine mesh sieve fitted over a deep bowl to collect the clear broth. Discard the wilted vegetables. With the help of two forks, shred the chicken into any size you prefer and set aside until you assemble the Negresco.

Béchamel Sauce

  • In a medium saucepan, add the ghee first to melt over low heat. Add the flour, stir into the melted ghee, and stir until an amber paste forms and the flour becomes toasted and fragrant. Add immediately a cup of chicken broth followed by four cups of milk, and whisk well until all the ingredients are combined. Season with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and garlic powder. Keep stirring the béchamel sauce over low heat until it thickens. If you find any lumps in the béchamel sauce, run it through a fine mesh sieve fitted over a bowl. The sauce should be silky smooth. Cover the sauce with a stretch tite and set the sauce aside until you assemble the dish.

Cook the Pasta

  • Fill a large pot with 4 liters of water. Season with 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a vigorous boil. Add the pasta and let it cook for 7 minutes. Don't rinse the pasta, just remove from the water and transfer it to a large container. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the cooked hot pasta and let it melt and penetrate the whole pasta. That last step will prevent the pasta from sticking together and it will flavor it as well.

Assemble the Negresco

  • To a 4.8-qt (10 x 15) oblong or rectangular baking dish, add half the al dente pasta and evenly pour over two ladles of béchamel sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Lay over the shredded chicken, drizzle with béchamel sauce, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Add the other half of the cooked pasta, cover with the béchamel leftovers, and the rest of the grated cheese.

Bake

  • Bake the Negresco at 360 for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Broil for 2-3 minutes for a golden crust. Turn off the oven and let the Negresco sit for 10 minutes on the kitchen counter before serving.

Serve

  • Ideally, serve the Negresco next to "salata baladi," which is a zesty multicolor Egyptian green salad.

Nermine's Notes

Nermine's Notes

1. Perfectly Cooked Pasta

Cook pasta al dente to prevent it from becoming mushy after baking.
Toss cooked pasta with a little butter or oil to prevent sticking.
2. Flavorful Chicken
For juicier and fragrant chicken, simmer it in broth instead of water with plenty of aromatics, garlic, onion, and carrots. The addition of mastic resin, a prized ingredient from the mastic tree, imparts a uniquely aromatic, pine-like flavor to the chicken and the chicken broth. 
3. Creamy & Lump-Free Béchamel
Warm the milk before adding it to the roux (butter & flour mixture) for a smooth sauce.
Whisk constantly to avoid lumps. Add a dash of nutmeg for depth and warmth.
For extra creaminess, stir in a bit of heavy cream or cream cheese.
4. Balanced Cheese Topping
Mix mozzarella for stretch, cheddar for richness, and Parmesan for a golden crust.
Avoid overloading with cheese—it should complement the dish, not overpower it.
5. Baking to Perfection
Bake uncovered at 360°F for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. For an extra crispy top, broil for the last 2–3 minutes.
6. Let It Rest
Let Negresco sit for 5–10 minutes before slicing to allow the béchamel to set properly.

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Keyword chicken pasta bake, chicken recipes, Ramadan recipe