Chicken and Broccoli Pasta w/ Healthy Cream Sauce

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 3 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts

• 3 cups broccoli steamed

• 1 box quinoa pasta

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp spray butter

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Sauce Ingredients

• 6 oz Greek cream cheese

• 5 tbsp spray butter

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese low fat/part skim

• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

• 1 clove garlic minced

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 cup shredded or grated parmesean cheese

• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

I have to admit that I am a newbie at making cream sauce recipes! The fact that most cream sauces contains tons of fat and calories has steered me away in the past. I decided to simplify the ingredients and make it as healthy as I knew how. I came up with this chicken and broccoli pasta with a creamy alfredo-like sauce to compliment. I was nervous about this one…but I have a true winner here and this will definitely be in the cooking rotation!

Also, I steer away from pasta recipes for the simple fact of the high content in carbohydrates. I decided to try the quinoa pasta, and it is an A+ in my book! I will be using this in place of my whole grain pasta for sure! The only difference is the cooking time, so make sure not to overcook this pasta!

• Gather all ingredients

• Cook the quinoa pasta (1 box) and make sure not to overcook!!! Drain, spray with  a few sprays of spray butter, and set aside.

• While the quinoa pasta is cooking, cut the chicken fat off of the chicken breasts and then cube the chicken into small bite-sized pieces.

• Put the chicken into a bowl and mix with spray butter and black pepper. Mix well with your hands to ensure all pieces are coated well.

• Coat a pan with 1 tsp of olive oil and then pour the chicken into the pan and make sure you spread apart so they all cook evenly.

• Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 10 minutes, flipping the chicken around (with a spatula) every few minutes to ensure that all pieces brown/cook thoroughly. When done, turn burner off and keep the chicken in the pan until needed.

• While the chicken is cooking, cut the broccoli into small pieces using mostly florets. You can buy the bagged microwave/steamer broccoli if you want to take the simplest route, otherwise steam the broccoli yourself.  When done, put the broccoli and pasta into the pan with the chicken. Keep the heat off until the sauce is made.

• To make the sauce, first mince one clove of garlic and put into a sauce pan with 1 tsp of olive oil. Saute on medium heat for a few minutes until just slightly browned, but NOT LONGER!! Keep a close eye on the garlic bc you do not want to burn it! Once the garlic is brown, pour the chicken broth into the pot/pan and let simmer for a minute. Add all other sauce ingredients into the pot/pan and cook on medium heat while stirring continuously. Cook for about 5 minutes and then it will be ready to serve.

• I have made it two ways: everything mixed together and the sauce drizzled over the top of the other ingredients.

• Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and enjoy!