Penne with Chicken & Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce

Name long enough for you? I hope so...

I found this recipe on Good Things Catered and knew I had to try it. It seemed perfect - light, cheesy, but still hearty. It was a hit. I highly recommend it.

Penne with Chicken and Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce
Recipe from Good Things Catered.
Serves about 4
Cook Time - About 20 min


Ingredients:
1 lb. penne (I probably used about 3/4 lb)
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup roasted garlic paste (made by roasting garlic in oven and squeezing garlic out of skin) (I just minced about 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, due to time constraints)
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dry vermouth or dry white wine
2 c. low-sodium chicken stock
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florettes (about 2 c.)
10 oz. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (about 2 c.)
3 oz. aged reserve cheddar (preferably white), grated (about 1 1/2 c.) (I used a mix of medium cheddar & an aged white cheddar)
4 - 6 thin strips of parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Bring 4 qt. of water to a boil in lare pot and cook ziti according to box directions to only al dente and set aside. At the same time, lightly steam broccolli florettes on to of pan in steamer and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

When just coming to foaming, add garlic paste and cook until fragrant (about 1 min). Add flour and cook until beginning to turn golden (about 2 min.)

Add vermouth and cook until evaporated (about 1 min). Stir broth into pan and simmer sauce until slightly thickened (about 2 min). Add cheddar and stir constantly while returning to a boil.

Fold in ziti cook for one minute additional and remove from heat. Add brocolli and chicken and fold until sauce covers uniformly.

Plate and top with one or two strips of parmesean (optional) and serve. Enjoy!

Lime-y, Garlicky, Spicy Goodness

I've had this recipe in my homemade recipe book for a while and have been meaning to make it. Given my quasi-resolution to eat more healthfully, I decided it was time. Because tonight my yoga class was unexpectedly (and un-announcedly) cancelled, tonight was the night. I expected to like it. I expected my husband to think it was OK. His review was "this is fantastic!"



Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta
From Amber's Blog
Serves 3-4
Total Cook & Prep Time - 20 min

1 tbls butter
Few drizzles of olive oil
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp corn starch
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1 small onion, diced fine
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
8 oz pasta (I used shells)
1-2 cups broccoli florets
Optional - Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cook time add the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain. (I did this in two separate pots, as I do not like the taste the broccoli gives the pasta).

Mix together all the sauce ingredients (butter through parsley) in a medium sized pan. Heat over medium-low heat. Add onion and simmer.

Meanwhile, cook chicken until no longer pink inside (I did this on the George Foreman grill, but you could do it in a pan on the stove, too). Add too sauce and continue to simmer.

Toss cooked broccoli and pasta with the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired and serve.