Chicken, Broccoli, and Garlic Pasta

So it’s been a long week this week, and it was a really long day today. I wanted to whip something up that would be delicious and filling, but wouldn’t require a whole lot of effort or a trip to the store. I found a really simple recipe for pasta and modified it to fit my needs, and it turned out awesome.

I guarantee you that even if your cooking repertoire includes nothing more advanced than boxed mac n’ cheese, you can’t screw up this recipe. It’s so quick and easy, but also surprisingly flavorful and very filling.

Note: This recipe makes 2 large servings. You can really easily double, halve, triple, whatever—do what you gotta do!

Chicken, Broccoli, and Garlic Pasta
Makes 2 large servings

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (add as much or as little as you want, or substitute your favorite vegetable)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick—I used Blue Bonnet light and it worked perfectly)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 lb. pasta of your choice (I used spaghetti)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup of parmesan cheese (or as much/little as you want)

1) Saute the chicken cubes in olive oil until cooked through and nicely browned.

These are about half done. My chicken took about 10 minutes altogether to cook through, and I let it brown a bit more after it was done. When done, take out of the pan and set aside.

2) While saute’ing your chicken, cook your pasta. When done, set aside.

3) Steam your broccoli. I used frozen broccoli florets and they took about 3 minutes in the microwave. Drain and set aside.

4) Melt butter with garlic in pan, then add your chicken and broccoli, stirring to coat.

Mmm, buttery garlic goodness.

5) Now add in your pasta and toss everything together. You can either add all of your cheese at this point, or serve the pasta with the cheese sprinkled on top. Your choice. I did a little bit of both.

Seriously guys, this pasta was so good. It was really garlicky, which is awesome in my book. So simple and quick to throw together—it’s a perfect weeknight dinner after a long day!

It’s also really pretty, which is always a plus. :)