We had much to celebrate this weekend because my husband’s 31st birthday is this week. We wanted to have a little dinner party with his family for this special day. After all, you only turn 31 once! His mom brought the cake and I set to work on a special birthday dinner to celebrate my hubby and all that he does for us.
I have had this dish in my recipes forever and thought it would be the perfect choice for our birthday dinner. Over the years, I have changed different ingredients in it, lightened the dish, and added my own spin to the recipe. I paired this with homemade breadsticks, dipping sauce (using my pizza sauce recipe listed in my pizza routine), tossed salad, and pink lemonade.
The garlic cream sauce is light and lovely and just the perfect balance of garlic. Don’t be scared of the amount of garlic that goes into this because as it cooks it just gets sweeter and more delicious. The bits of chicken mixed with the pasta and cheese makes for a yummy combination that is just like something you would eat in any fancy Italian restaurant.
The dish though is surprisingly affordable and I was able to find all of the ingredients at Aldi Supermarket. The only splurge is the cup of wine in the dish, but I just measured some out of the box of wine we keep in the fridge. You could also substitute this with an additional cup of chicken broth, if you would like!
It was a wonderful celebration and the food was a hit… especially with the birthday boy! I hope you can add this to your menu one day- I promise that it won’t disappoint!
Chicken, Broccoli & Fusilli in Garlic Cream Sauce
Adapted from Epicurious.com
5 cups broccoli florets (from about 1 large bunch)
1 pound fusilli or other corkscrew pasta (you could also do a whole wheat rotini)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 8 cloves or 3 tablespoons of jarred minced garlic)
3 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2″ strips (see alternate cooking instructions below)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup half & half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fusilli pasta to the water. Cook as directed, but in the last four minutes throw in the broccoli florets to cook with the pasta for the last four minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and chicken and sauté until chicken is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken. To the same pan, add wine, broth and half & half to skillet and boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes. Add pasta, broccoli, chicken and cheese to sauce and toss until mixture is heated through and coated evenly with sauce.
Quick Note About Cooking Chicken in Bulk
I don’t keep a lot of fresh chicken around and prefer to buy the frozen chicken breasts instead. There is money to be saved in buying and preparing whole chickens, but my family only likes white meat so for convenience sake (and to get them to eat it), we stick to the chicken breasts.
I buy the 3 pound bag of chicken from Aldi and cook and dice all of the chicken for the week. The chicken is then ready to go to be made into wrap sandwiches, fast paninis, a protein addition to my salads for lunch, and it helps me save a step for our dinners for the week.
It is a matter of preference how you like to cook your chicken, but I will share my favorite way that I do weekly!
Roasted Chicken Breasts for Bulk Cooking
Preheat the oven for 375 degrees. Spread the frozen chicken breasts out over one or two cookie sheets. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken breasts and then sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest ten to fifteen minutes (to allow the juices to redistribute within the meat). Dice or shred for your recipes for the week.
Do you cook any of your meat in bulk for your recipes? Feel free to share your techniques for bulk cooking here!
I haven’t used that method of cooking chicken but I think I might give it a try. Do you just use a cookie sheet? (can’t tell from the picture)
Pasta dish sounds good too. I know my family would like it.
.-= Nancy´s last blog ..starting a new week with a full cup =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 8:20 am
I actually use a medium Pampered Chef bar pan just because it is so easy to tidy up, but you could also use a cookie sheet!
That pasta is delicious, I promise! The sauce is a little thin (originally called for heavy cream and lots of oil), but this modified version tastes great and with the cheese tossed in, it still coats the pasta nicely!
I hope that helps!
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I am going to have to make this recipe this week. I just cut 4 crowns of broccoli from our garden yesterday. I was going to make beef and broccoli because I thought I had flank steak in the freezer, but I guess I used the last one.
I like to cook my chicken similar to this too, except I do it in the crock pot. It shreds so easy. I add generic spices (bay leaf, salt, pepper, garlic powder) for a meal like this or jazz it up with cilantro and lime for Mexican flavors. I always add a diced onion to it.
.-= Katie @ goodLife {eats}´s last blog ..How To: Solar System Birthday =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 9:30 am
Oh, yum!! I need to try planting broccoli sometime- it sounds so good picking it out of the garden.
I love your method of cooking too. I bet that works great especially in the warmer months when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Thanks so much for sharing, Katie!
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I buy the bag of chicken breasts too. It just seems so much easier in preparation.
I usually just boil it (boring I know), but during the warmer months, I actually have my husband grill or smoke it. It adds a lot of flavor.
.-= Melinda´s last blog ..Hug your child today =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Grilling is so great and I would never have thought to smoke it!! Thanks so much for the ideas, Melinda!
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Amy, we also eat a lot of chicken breasts in our house. I use a similar method, but I have found over all that using glass cookware, such as pyrex helps the chicken to stay very juicy. When shredding the chicken, my favorite method is to dump the whole bag of FROZEN chicken breasts in the crock pot on high for 4-6 hours. They are so tender and juicy you have to shred them in the crock and scoop out.
.-= Beth´s last blog ..Meal Planning Monday =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Thank you so much for sharing your tip about the Pyrex, Beth! I have been using my Pampered Chef stoneware for many years now and have had great success with that and juicy chicken. I hosted a party years ago to get as much as I could on discount and they have paid for themselves over and over again. It is good to know that Pyrex can achieve the same thing and I love how easy it is to clean too! Love your slow cooker tips too! Thanks so much for the comment!
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I place boneless chicken breasts in a Pyrex baking dish, add about 1 cup of water and salt and pepper, cover with foil, and bake until done (an hour or less). After the chicken cools, I chop or shred it and divide it into freezer bags. This method results in moist chicken for tortilla soup, poppy seed chicken casserole, etc.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 10:33 am
KS- I love the idea of adding water too to keep the chicken moist! It is so great to have the meat on hand and not have to cook it every time.
Keep these great ideas coming!!
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This sounds so yummy, AND I have all the ingredients on hand! I’m making this for dinner tonight, can’t wait!
.-= Tammy´s last blog ..~How to crack an egg~ =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Let me know how it turns out, Tammy! I hope you guys like it
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Your recipe sounds so delicous!
I love to cook ground beef and chicken up ahead of time and then keep it in the freezer. Well, let me restate that — I don’t LOVE to do the cooking so much, but I do LOVE the convenience of having the meat part of our meals ready so quickly on a busy weeknight!
I buy fresh chicken breasts when on a really great sale and place them in two large casserole dishes. I use a drizzle of olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to season them and pour in 1/2 cup of water per pan, cover with foil and bake until done.
I cube the chicken breast and slice some in long strips for fajitas. I really want to try the other commentor’s idea of using the crockpot to make shredded chicken. This kind of chicken would be great for some of our mexican dishes and bbq chicken sandwiches!
The ground beef gets browned up with onions and sometimes peppers, and stored flat in ziplock bags. Sometimes I’ll whip up a couple of meatloves and some meatballs too. There’s nothing easier than spaghetti and meatballs for a fast supper.
Take Care,
Trixie
.-= Trixie´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
What fantastic tips, Trixie! I love the idea of keeping fajita meat on hand for a quick weeknight dinner! Thank you so much for sharing your techniques!
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What a great idea for cooking the chicken. We also use a lot of frozen chicken breasts. Life would be so much easier if I cooked it ahead. Thanks. The noodle dish sounds great too, I’m adding it to our menu this week. (since that’s what I’m trying to get done right now lol).
.-= Jackie Lee´s last blog ..How Judgement Is Throwing Your Life Out of Balance =-.
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The pasta dish looks so good – and my husband was just asking if we had any alfredo sauce because he wanted to make a pasta dish out of grilled chicken and tortellini so the timing is perfect!
One question about the chicken though – I had read at some point and its stuck with me that you should never refreeze food that was previously frozen – but does that not hold true when you thaw the raw meat and cook it and refreeze? I’ve always held back from doing that but I’m tempted since it would make life so nice this spring and summer when we are dashing here and there!
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
S- I think that would only apply if I thawed the chicken breasts first. I am just cooking the frozen breasts in their frozen state so I am not refreezing the meat. The chicken should last (in a nice airtight container or double-bagged in a freezer bag for up to three months. I hope that helps!!
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Teresa Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
The “don’t re-freeze” thing only applies to thawing the meat, then freezing it again without cooking it. Thawing (or even just cooking it raw if you buy it not frozen), cooking, then freezing is perfectly safe.
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I do the same with chicken, too! I usually boil it in a large stock pot though, and add a couple of buillion in for taste.
I am all about buying the boneless/skinless chicken breasts in a bag. If I try to debone a chicken, I end up wasting half of it. Kitchen FAIL.
.-= Andria Stanley´s last blog ..Which Is It? =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Raising my hand- it is a cooking fail over here too. I love to have roast chicken as a dinner once in awhile, but prefer the white meat to have on hand for quick cooking and eating
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I didn’t know that you could cook frozen chicken breasts. I usually thaw them and pop them in the slow cooker with some chicken broth. I’ll definitley try this next time. It’s so easy.
.-= Allison´s last blog ..Flax Seed Bread, Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ Bread =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
The cooking guidelines should help!! Sometimes I will get a bag with really large pieces of chicken. In those cases, an additional ten minutes usually does the trick. I hope that it helps with your cooking!! ((hugs))
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Wow, I need to read all of the comments because as I scanned them I saw some great tips. Anyway, I usually sautee my chicken breasts in bulk but that can be time consuming because I have to do it in 2 or 3 sets. Your idea might work much better, time-wise! I’m definitely trying it the next time I pre-cook my chicken breasts, thanks!
Happy Belated Birthday to your husband!
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Amy Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Thank you so much!! Today is his actual birthday, we just got to celebrate a little early with is family.
I hope that cooking method helps
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Oh, my sautee method is usually thawed chicken, too, so cooking them frozen is very appealing to me. Like others have mentioned, I usually cube some and slice some for fajitas after I cook the chicken. I rarely shred chicken breasts because shredding is such a pain but I think I’ll try the crockpot suggestion for shredding because it sounds like it’ll make the process easier.
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Oh I HAVE to try this! I love garlic cream sauces.
We buy whole chickens b/c I buy them from a local farm and they’re cheapest that way (and we don’t mind dark meat.) I usually cook mine whole in boiling water on the stove top, throw in some celery, carrot, and onion, then I take it out and harvest the cooked meat for future recipes and save the resulting liquid and use it when recipes call for chicken stock. SO nutritious.
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I made this and it was good, but I don’t know – something was missing for me – something to add a little bit…more? I would make it again – but I think I need another spice or maybe a little butter for some more mouth feel? I don’t know…the positive of this meal is I was able to break apart some of the items for my pickier eaters (plain ckn and noodles and steamed broccoli) but I was pleasantly surprised that my very picky daughter actually asked to try and preferred the whole recipe together and she usually doesn’t like garlic! so definitely a keeper but I’d love to hear if others played with it to give it that wow factor??
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Amy Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Hmmm…sorry, S that it wasn’t a home run for you. The original recipe had 1/4 cup of olive oil to cook the chicken in and 1 cup of heavy cream instead. That might add more creaminess to the dish for you or you could add in some chopped flat leaf parsley. I was trying to keep it a little bit lighter so that is why I switched it to half and half. What type of wine did you use? Mine had lots of flavor from the wine too. Did you saute the chicken or cook it ahead? You could also saute it in a pan to add more flavor or up the cheese
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S Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
ahh, I think I will switch up the wine a bit and switch to fresh grated parmesan (I didn’t use the green can but I did use pre grated cheese!) Mine was definitely creamy enough – just missing a zing of flavor, but perhaps a switch to a better wine might do it! I did saute my chicken and it had lots of little browned bits so the flavor was good there… lets hope my wine was the missing link!! I’d definitely make this again, I think my expectations were just over the top maybe!! I’m also thinking of switching to Asparagus since it will be here locally very soon!
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So I made the creamy, chicken & broccoli fusili for dinner the other night and I would like to thank you Amy for a night, probably the first night in 6 years, that we had a nice, quiet, peaceful dinner together. The only interruptions were the occasional “mmmm” sound coming from the childrens FULL mouths!!! WE LOVED IT!!! The dishes were tossed in the dishwasher for good measure…those plates were licked clean!! Thanks Amy!!
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This sounds so good! I’m making it this week. (I always use an astronomical amount of garlic in most of my dishes. I love how flavorful it is once it’s all cooked up!)
~ Jennifer
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Hi Amy, I am making this tonight and am cooking the chicken breasts in the oven right now. This is the first time I am using this method, what a great idea!
For the ladies that use the Crockpot method for shredded chicken for Mexican dishes, do you freeze the leftover chicken?
.-= Bella´s last blog ..Time For Pumpkin Cake! =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I will be anxious to hear how they turn out, Bella!! Please be sure to let us know- have a wonderful dinner!!
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It was DELICIOUS, Amy! Thanks for the new recipe and healthy, too!
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Amy Reply:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Hurray!! Love hearing the dinner success stories!! Thanks for letting me know, Bella!
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Fusili! My favorite pasta, and I love chicken brocoli fettucine! Never thought of putting the two together. Can’t wait to try it.
.-= Sal´s last blog ..Transmission Repair Cost =-.
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How do you keep the half and half from curdling when mixing it with the white wine and broth? I LOVE chicken fusilli salad, but can’t get the cream sauce to come out without curdling.
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Ok…tonight this is my dinner. Sounds delicious!!!
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Amy Reply:
October 15th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I hope you love it, Pamela! It is a great dish to entertain with and reheats beautifully.
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