All-in-one penne with chicken

Name: All-in-one penne with chicken
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 500g chicken breast, diced into 2 cm cubes; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 brown onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1/4 tsp chilli flakes; 400g penne; 2 & 3/4 cups water; 1 & 2/3 cups chicken stock; 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets; 1 punnet grape tomatoes; 200ml cream; 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve; juice half lemon; salt and pepper to season

Kristy Komadina

November 2, 2017

easyTime:< 30 mins

I love dishes like this where everything is cooked in the one pan. This recipe combines pasta with chicken, vegetables and a thick creamy sauce spiked with lots of parmesan cheese and the best part is that there is only one pan to wash up at the end.

Ingredients

500g chicken breast, diced into 2 cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
400g penne
2 & 3/4 cups water
1 & 2/3 cups chicken stock
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
1 punnet grape tomatoes
200ml cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
juice half lemon
salt and pepper to season

Method

Season the chicken with plenty of salt and pepper. Place 1 tbs olive oil into a large frying pan and add the chicken in one layer. Fry on one side for about 4 minutes before stirring the chicken and colouring the other side. The chicken should not be completely cooked through yet. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan and add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, oregano and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute or until fragrant.
Add the penne along with 2 cups of the water and the chicken stock. Bring to the boil over high heat and let it bubble away uncovered for 12 - 15 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent the pasta from sticking. Most of the liquid will be absorbed, leaving a thick, syrupy sauce around the pasta. Now add the chicken, broccoli, tomatoes and the rest of the water, simmering with the lid on for 4-5 minutes until the broccoli is cooked and bright green.
Add the cream, parmesan and lemon juice and stir through. Turn off the heat. Taste and add enough salt and pepper until it tastes correctly seasoned.
Serve with extra parmesan cheese on top.
Kristy is a mother of three who loves feeding her family wholesome, nutritious and above all delicious food. She has her own food blog called The Life She Made where she posts family style recipes and talks about life as a stay at home mother.