The Overview
Everything gets better with cheese…well, not ice cream, but most dishes. This Cheesy Chicken Pasta brings forth a torrent of flavor. The chicken is seasoned with garlic and Dijon mustard and is balanced against the broccoli with its vinegar and Sazon Complete. Being a one-pot meal is just one of the major advantages of this dish. The second, and probably more important, is how well toddlers like it. The cheese really brings the dish together with the savory, salty, and creamy nature.
Story Time
I learned a version of this recipe from my college roommate Ashley and now it is a staple in my household. Over the last few years I have tweaked the recipe a little because I just can’t help myself. This recipe is my family’s go to easy weeknight meal and is great for lunch and dinner. I love that this pseudo one pot meal is healthy and delicious. A bonus is that cheesy chicken pasta is appealing to the finicky toddler taste buds; that’s right this is a toddler friendly meal! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Fun Facts
Pasta actually originated in China, with Marco Polo (the man, not the game) introducing it to Italy.
One would think it was Italian immigrants that brought pasta to America, but in fact, it was Thomas Jefferson.
The old adage “sticks to the wall” indicating doneness, come from the fact that properly cooked pasta does stick to the wall.
Pasta was originally eaten by hand.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 2 tbsp of EVOO to add with pasta
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 3 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 2 tbsp Sazon Complete (Badia Complete Seasoning)
- 2 tbsp White Vinegar
- 2 lbs Boneless Chicken, cut to bite sized pieces
- 12 oz Broccoli Florets, cut to small pieces
- 1 lb Pasta (I like using Rotini)
- 1 cup Parmesan, grated
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large wide bottom pot, medium heat
- Add 6 tbsp of EVOO
- Add garlic and dijon mustard and sauté until fragrant (careful not to burn the garlic)
- Add chicken and sauté for 5 minutes
- In a separate pot boil water for pasta
- When water for the pasta starts to boil add 4 tsps. of salt then add pasta and cook till pasta is chewy but not fully cooked (this is usually 1 or 2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on the box)
- Add broccoli, white vinegar, red pepper flakes, and Sazon Completa to the chicken cooking in the large wide bottom pot cook for another 5 minutes
- Drain pasta and add cooked pasta and 2 tbsp of EVOO to the large wide bottom pot and stir
- Salt to taste
- Garnish with Parmesan
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