Saturday, August 1, 2009

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 10-oz package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 cloves minced garlic
12 oz angel hair pasta
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Cook, stirring, until chicken is cooked through - about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels (or just set aside).


Heat remaining oil in skillet. Begin heating water for pasta. Add carrot to skillet; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and garlic to skillet; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer.


Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, add chicken broth, basil, and Parmesan to skillet. Stir to combine. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes.


Drain pasta. Place in a bowl. Top with chicken and vegetable mixture. Serve immediately.

What I did differently from the recipe:
This is a classic recipe that we love around here. I usually stick to the recipe because there's really nothing I want to change. But I normally do more chicken and veggies than is in the recipe. I usually do between 1.5 and 2 pounds of chicken, at least 3 or 4 carrots, and between 10 and 12 ounces of broccoli. I chop everything into really small pieces to spread it out more. Tonight I used regular spaghetti because I didn't have angel hair on hand. If you use something other than angel hair, you may want to start the pasta cooking a bit earlier - angel hair cooks in just about 4-5 minutes. Also, I'm sure I use more Parmesan because I just heave it on there!

What I'll do differently next time:
Who knows?

Verdict:
Thumbs up! One of our favorites, and really easy to make!