Try Out This Chicken And Broccoli Pasta Bake Next Time You’re In A Rush To Make Dinner
There are just some nights where I don’t have the energy to invest in an elaborate dinner, and I’m sure you can relate.
My solution for putting something delicious together that doesn’t take up much time at all is a recipe that requires one pan or dish to create.
This chicken and broccoli pasta bake is one of my favorite things to make on repeat, and here’s the recipe for you! It’s a great idea for next time you’re in a rush to make dinner.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups of chicken (make sure it’s cooked – I prefer shredding up a rotisserie chicken)
- 2 Cups of cooked penne pasta
- 3 Cups of cooked broccoli florets (it can be frozen or fresh, it doesn’t matter)
- 2 Cups of milk
- 2 Cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 Cup of parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 Cloves of garlic, minced
- Olive oil
- 5 Tablespoons of butter
- 3 Tablespoons of flour
- Italian seasoning
- Salt
- Pepper
- Optional: fresh basil, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base, heavy cream
Instructions:
First, preheat your oven to 375, grab the pan you want to use for the chicken and broccoli bake and grease it either with butter or olive oil, whatever you prefer.
Next, let’s prep your chicken. If you want to take a shortcut, pick up a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store and shred up the white meat.
If you want to be a little fancier, you can cook chicken breasts from scratch. To do this, slice your chicken breasts in half, drizzle them with Italian seasoning and olive oil, and rub that into the chicken to distribute the seasoning evenly.
Africa Studio – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Get a large skillet, add a bit of olive oil and place on medium-high heat. Add in your chicken. Sear on both sides for a few minutes until brown. Throw in a couple of Tablespoons of butter, and baste them.
It usually takes about seven minutes for each side, but you can use a meat thermometer to be more exact (it should read 165 degrees when placed in the thickest section of the chicken). If you do go this route, when your chicken is done, chop it up or shred it with two forks.
Now, it’s time to get our pasta and broccoli prepared. Bring a pot of water (with a pinch of salt tossed in) to a boil over medium heat and cook your pasta based on what your box tells you. You can save time by adding your broccoli to your pot of pasta, or the lazy girl way is to grab a microwavable bag of the frozen stuff and toss it in the microwave!
Let’s move on to your sauce: get out a pan on medium-low to low heat and add in butter and diced garlic. Cook for about two minutes. Sprinkle in your flour and whisk it all together. Cook for two more minutes.
Add your milk and whisk away so you don’t have any lumps or bumps in there. Continuously whisk for the next five minutes while everything comes together.
Season your sauce with as much Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt as you like. I also chop up fresh basil and add it in as well.
Side note: you can mix in some Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base and heavy cream to add more flavors (again, this is getting fancy, if you want to invest a little bit more time).
As soon as you see your sauce thickened up, take it off the heat and stir in your cheeses. I have a roomy pan, so from here, I just add in the drained pasta and broccoli, along with the chicken, and stir it up, but pull out a big bowl and combine everything if you don’t have enough space in your pan.
Your final step is to place everything in a baking dish. You can top it with more chicken and cheese. Bake in the oven at 375 for 25 minutes or until everything is a nice golden brown.
When I’m ready to serve it, I throw more fresh basil on top!
What’s your favorite one-pan dinner idea?
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