Chicken and Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ½ lb. frozen broccoli florets
• ½ lb. rotini pasta 
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about ⅔ lb. total) 
• Salt and Pepper 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 fresh lemon 
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream*

Instructions

1. Take the broccoli florets out of the freezer and allow them to thaw. When they are soft enough to cut, chop them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Set the broccoli aside to fully thaw until you are ready to use them.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta in a colander.
3. While the water for the pasta is heating, season both sides of the chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a deep skillet over medium flame, then add the olive oil. Tilt the skillet to coat the surface in oil, then add the chicken thighs. Cook the thighs on both sides until golden brown and cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). Remove the thighs to a cutting board and let rest.
4. While the chicken is cooking, zest the lemon using a zester or small-holed cheese grater and mince the garlic. Once the chicken has been removed from the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes, or just until it is soft and fragrant.
5. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Add the heavy cream, about 1 tsp of the lemon zest, and 2 Tbsp of the lemon's juice. Stir to combine, and allow the cream to come up to a gentle simmer. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes, or until it thickens slightly. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt, pepper, or lemon if needed. Season the sauce liberally so the flavors are not diluted once combined with the pasta, broccoli, and chicken.
6. Chop the cooked chicken into small pieces, then add it to the cream sauce in the skillet along with the drained pasta and chopped broccoli florets. Stir to combine and coat everything in sauce. Allow the chicken, broccoli, and pasta to heat through, then serve.

Notes

*You MUST use heavy cream for this recipe, not half and half, not milk, or else the lemon will cause it to curdle.

Step by Step Photos

Start by taking 1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets out of the freezer to thaw. Once they’ve softened a bit, chop them into smaller, bite-sized pieces and set them aside to fully thaw. Also bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook 1/2 lb. of pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta in a colander.

While the pasta water is heating, start on the chicken thighs. Season both sides of two boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper (this is about 2/3 lb. total).

Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and tilt the skillet to coat the surface. Add the chicken thighs and cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). Make sure to let the chicken brown, as the browned bits help flavor the sauce. Remove the chicken thighs from the skillet to a cutting board. Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium-low.

While the chicken is cooking, zest the lemon so it’s ready to go when you need it. Also mince two cloves of garlic.

After removing the chicken from the skillet and turning the heat down to medium-low, add the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant.

Add 1/2 cup chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve all the browned bits off the surface.

Add one cup heavy cream to the skillet, along with about 1 tsp of the lemon zest and 2 Tbsp of the lemon’s juice.

Let the sauce come up to a gentle simmer and let it simmer for a few minutes, or until it thickens slightly. Season the sauce liberally with salt, pepper, and more lemon, if needed.

Chop the cooked chicken into smaller pieces…

Then add the pasta, chicken, and broccoli to the skillet with the lemon cream sauce.

Stir until everything is combined and coated in sauce. Let the pasta, broccoli, and chicken heat through, then serve.

Healthy Pasta Sauce Recipes

Here are 3 homemade pasta sauces that are also healthy. 

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Makes 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:1 tbsp olive oil½ medium brown onion, finely diced2 garlic cloves, crushed1 tbsp tomato paste½ tsp dried oregano300g canned diced tomatoesSalt and ground black pepper10g (¼ cup) chopped basil10g (¼ cup) chopped Italian parsley

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring often.

2. Add the tomato paste and oregano and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Add the diced tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Remove from the heat and stir through the fresh basil and parsley and adjust the seasoning if needed.

5. Transfer the sauce, in batches, to a food processor or blender and process for the desired consistency. For a chunkier sauce, puree some of the sauce mixture and mix it back through the sauce. For a smooth sauce, puree it all. Enjoy!

Cashew Basil Pesto

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:1 large bunch basil, leaves picked30g raw cashew nuts2 garlic cloves, crushed½ tbsp fresh lemon juice50g (½ cup) parmesan cheese, grated125ml olive oilSalt and ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Place the basil leaves, cashew nuts, garlic, lemon juice and parmesan cheese in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped.

2. With the food processor still running, slowly add the olive oil and process until fully combined and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Enjoy!

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients:1 tbsp olive oil1 garlic clove, crushed1 tbsp flour175ml salt-reduced vegetable stock125ml (½ cup) low-fat milkPinch of ground nutmegGround black pepper, to taste50g (½ cup) parmesan cheese, grated

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently.

2. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly until smooth. Gradually whisk in the stock, milk, pepper and nutmeg. Increase the heat to medium and gently bring to the boil, stirring constantly.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture thickens, gently stirring constantly. Add the parmesan cheese and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Enjoy!!

Source from Healthy Pasta Sauce Recipes

Creamy Lemon Dill Greek Pasta Salad

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

15 mins

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

 

Serves: 6 (about 1.5 cups each)

INGREDIENTS

CREAMY LEMON DILL DRESSING

• 5oz. container plain Greek yogurt 
• ¼ cup mayonnaise 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 fresh lemon 
• ¼ tsp salt 
• ¼ tsp dried dill
• Freshly cracked pepper 

PASTA SALAD

• 1 lb. penne 
• 1 cup grape tomatoes 
• 1 cucumber (about 2 cups chopped) 
• 15oz. can quartered artichoke hearts 
• ¼ red onion 
• 2oz. feta 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the dressing first so the flavors have time to blend. Use a zester or small-holed cheese grater to remove the zest from the lemon. In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, 1 Tbsp of the lemon juice, ½ tsp of the lemon zest, salt, dill, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.
2. Cook the pasta, in lightly salted water, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and rinse briefly with cool water to bring the temperature down. Let the pasta drain until it's slightly dry and tacky on the surface.
3. While the pasta is cooking, slice the cucumber, then cut the slices into quarter rounds. Slice the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion. Drain the artichoke hearts, then roughly chop them. Crumble the feta cheese.
4. Once the pasta is cooled and drained, Place it in a large bowl and combine with the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, artichoke hearts, feta, and creamy lemon dill dressing. Stir to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

STEP  BY STEP PHOTOS

Begin by removing the zest from one lemon. You’ll need about 1/2 tsp of the zest for the dressing, but you can keep the rest to use as a garnish.

Prepare the dressing first, so the flavors have time to infuse into the yogurt. In a small bowl, stir together one 5oz. container of Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp of the lemon zest, 1 Tbsp of the lemon’s juice, 1/4 tsp dried dill, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. If you can’t find a single-serving container of Greek yogurt that is exactly 5oz, no worries. That part is flexible. It seems like every brand is a different size, but anywhere between 5-7oz. will be okay.

Refrigerate the dressing until you’re ready to use it.

Cook one pound of penne pasta in lightly salted water, according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water to bring the temperature down. Let the pasta drain until it’s slightly tacky or sticky on the surface. This will allow it to grip the dressing better than really wet pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. Slice about 1 cup of grape tomatoes in half, cut one cucumber into quarter rounds (about 2 cups), dice 1/4 red onion, drain and roughly chop one 15oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts, and crumble 2oz. of feta.

Combine the drained pasta, the vegetables, and feta in a large bowl.

Pour the creamy lemon dill dressing on top, then stir to coat.

And you’re done! You can garnish with any extra lemon zest or a light sprinkle of dried dill.

Fast, easy, delicious, and a little more budget friendly. ;)

Source from http://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/08/creamy-lemon-dill-greek-pasta-salad/

Spaghetti Carbonara

PREP TIME

10 mins

COOK TIME

15 mins

TOTAL TIME

25 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3oz. bacon 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 12oz. spaghetti 
• 3 large eggs 
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Salt to taste 
• Handful fresh parsley (optional) 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill a large pot with water for the pasta and season with salt. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, cut the bacon into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet, then turn the heat down to low. Mince two cloves of garlic, add them to the warm skillet, and sauté for about one minute or until fragrant and softened, then turn off the heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, ½ cup of the Parmesan, and a generous dose of freshly cracked pepper.
4. The water should be boiling at this point, so add the pasta, stir well, and continue to boil the pasta until al dente. Reserve one cup of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
5. Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet that was used to cook the bacon. Stir the warm water in the skillet and dissolve the browned bits from the surface of the skillet. Add the steaming hot drained pasta to the skillet and toss in the bacon liquid in the skillet.
6. Pour the egg and Parmesan mixture over the hot pasta and immediately begin to stir or toss the pasta. Continue to stir the hot pasta in the egg mixture until a creamy sauce forms. Add the remaining Parmesan, a little more freshly cracked pepper, and the reserved bacon bits, and toss again. If the pasta becomes too thick or dry, add a splash more of the reserved pasta water.
7. Finally, taste the pasta and adjust the salt, Parmesan, or pepper if needed. Top with a pinch or two of roughly chopped parsley leaves.

STEP BY STEP PHOTOS

To make this recipe a little more affordable, I’m using bacon (a small amount) instead of guanciale or pancetta. I only used 3oz., or 1/4 of this 12oz. package. I like to cut my bacon packages into quarters and then freeze the rest. That way I can grab out 1/4 at a time to use as needed.

Cut the bacon into smaller pieces, then brown the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Remove the bacon from the skillet, then turn the heat down to low and add two cloves of minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for about one minute, or just until it loses its raw edge. Then turn the heat off.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Stir the pasta, then continue to boil until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.

While you’re waiting for the pasta to cook, whisk together 3 large eggs, about 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, and a hefty dose of freshly cracked pepper.

Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet that was used to cook the bacon. Stir the hot cooking water to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Toss the drained (but still steaming hot) pasta in the skillet with the bacon water.

Pour the egg and Parmesan mixture over the hot pasta. Immediately begin stirring or tossing the hot pasta to distribute the egg mixture and prevent it from curdling. Stir until a creamy sauce forms (this happens quickly).

Finally, add the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and more pepper. Toss the pasta until the Parmesan melts into the sauce.

See that creamy sauce on the bottom? MMmmmm

To finish the pasta, just give it a taste and add salt, pepper, or Parmesan if needed.

Source from SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

PREP TIME

40 mins

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hour

 

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

MARINADE/DRESSING

• 1 lemon 
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, divided
• ½ Tbsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt 
• Freshly cracked pepper
• 
  

SALAD

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
• 8oz. pasta (any shape) 
• 1 bell pepper (any color)
• 4oz. grape tomatoes* 
• ½ cucumber (1.5 cups diced)
• ¼ bunch parsley 
• 2oz. feta 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Use a zester, microplane, or small-holed cheese grater to remove the zest from the lemon. Set the zest aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl. You'll need at least ¼ cup juice.
2. Prepare the dressing and marinade by mincing two of the three cloves of garlic and combining them with ¼ cup lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of the lemon zest. Whisk these ingredients until well combined.
3. Place the chicken thighs in a small zip lock bag and add half of the dressing, saving the rest to add to the salad later. Mince one more clove of garlic and add it to the bag with the chicken and marinade. Squeeze the air out and massage the bag to make sure the thighs are well coated in the marinade. Refrigerate the thighs for at least 30 minutes.
4. While the chicken is marinating, cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain in a colander, and let cool.
5. Heat a skillet over a medium flame. Once hot, add the marinated chicken thighs and cook on each side until they are well browned and cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). There should be enough oil in the marinade to keep the meat from sticking. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and let it rest for about five minutes. Once slightly cooled, chop the chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Dice the cucumber and bell pepper. Slice the tomatoes in half (or dice if using Roma or regular tomatoes). Pull the parsley leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop.
7. Finally, build the salad. Add the cooked and cooled pasta to a large bowl. Top the pasta with the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, parsley, and chopped chicken. Crumble the feta over top and add a pinch or two of the lemon zest. Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

NOTES

*I got a sale on a snack pack of grape tomatoes, but two Roma tomatoes (diced) or one medium tomato can be used in place of the grape tomatoes.

STEP BY STEP PHOTOS

Start by removing the zest from one lemon. The zest is the magic part of the lemon. It provides an incredibly lemony flavor without making things too sour. So, for this recipe we use both the juice and the zest for an extra lemony kick. Use a zester, microplane, or small-holed cheese grater to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the peel. Set the zest aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl. You’ll need at least 1/4 cup of juice.

Now prepare the mixture that will be used as both the dressing and the marinade. Mince two cloves of garlic and combine them in a bowl with 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of that lemon zest. Whisk with a fork until well combined.

Add two boneless, skinless chicken thighs to a zip lock bag and add half of that dressing, plus one more clove of minced garlic (you really want the chicken to be garlicky!). Squeeze out all the air, give the bag a quick massage to distribute the marinade, then refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, cook 8oz. of pasta (any shape) according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, and let it cool.

Heat a skillet over a medium flame and once hot, add the marinated chicken thighs. There should be enough oil on them from the marinade to keep them from sticking. Cook the thighs on each side until well browned and cooked through (about five minutes each side).  Seriously, this chicken was SO GOOD that I’m probably going to feature it as its own recipe soon. I wanted to eat it by itself.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it rest for a few minutes, then chop it into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Dice 1/2 cucumber (1.5 cups diced), dice the bell pepper, slice the tomatoes in half (or dice if using Roma or regular tomatoes), and give the parsley a rough chop.

Finally, it’s time to put everything together! Place the cooked, drained, and cooled pasta in a large bowl (it’s under there, I swear). Top the pasta with the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, parsley, and chopped chicken. Finally, crumble 2oz. feta over everything and add one last pinch of lemon zest.

Pour the remaining dressing over the salad…

And toss until everything is coated in dressing. Done!

Source from GREEK CHICKEN PASTA SALAD