Creamy Chicken, Broccoli & Artichoke Pasta

"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves." - Alice Adams

That was in an email I got from Puppy Daddy this week. No wonder I love cooking dinner every night. He is the best husband ever. He is extremely romantic, loving to surprise me. I get a special gift every time we go on a trip together. After a long day, I often come home to him greeting me at the car with flowers and a glass of wine. In fact, once I pushed the button to open the garage door to pull my car in and saw a little table set with wine and flowers!  He emails me a love poem or quote EVERY DAY! I have no idea what I ever did to derserve such an amazing man, but boy am I blessed.

No wonder I love cooking dinner every night! I especially love finding a recipe that allows me to make something delicious and use up ingredients from my fridge and pantry. This is that kind of recipe. You could use any protein, any vegetables, and just about any pasta shape you have in stock.

Start this dish by pounding your chicken breasts until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Then poach the chicken breasts in the chicken broth. When their cooked through remove them from the pan and add the cream. Cook until it gets thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Melt in your Parmesan. Then add back in your your chicken, artichokes and broccoli. Toss with cooked pasta and fresh parsley.

Eat!
 
Ingredients
2 (6 oz.) chicken breast halves
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup broccoli florets, cooked

1 (9 oz.) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1/2 pound fettuccine pasta

Salt and pepper 1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmesan (2 oz.)

 

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pound chicken  to 1/2-inch thickness. Pour broth into a skillet; bring to a boil over high heat. Add chicken, lower heat to medium and cover. Cook, turning twice, until no longer pink, 12 minutes.

 

Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Increase heat to high and bring broth to a boil. Boil rapidly until liquid has reduced by half. Pour in cream, bring to a boil, and cook until thick enough to coat back of a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. (Watch carefully and stir to prevent it from boiling over.)

 

Chop chicken and artichokes; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to pot and stir in sauce, chicken, artichokes and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley and grated Parmesan, and serve hot.

Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

The reason for this post is Puppy Daddy. Last night I had not really prepared for making a meal, so I did what I usually do on these occasions and made a casserole with what I had in the fridge and pantry. I wasn't sure I would post it, but Puppy Daddy loved it so much that he insisted. In fact, he must have been so excited to take the left overs to work for lunch today that he left the pantry door open when he got out his lunch bag, which by the way, is where we keep the dog treats. I realized this when I heard some mischief going on in the kitchen. When I walked in Hilton was ripping open the bag of Biljac snacks. I made a feeble attempt to get them, but if you know Whippets, you will realize that if a Whippet has something he doesn't want you to have, you will never catch him. In fact the only way I ever get something really tasty (especially a squirrel) away from my dogs is with dog treats, so I knew I should just give up. Now Hilton has eaten more dog treats in five minutes than he normally gets in six months! Oh well!!!

As I said this casserole was made with things I happened to have in my kitchen. Along with the broccoli, water chestnuts, rice, onion and celery, I also used left over chicken (from yesterday's Chicken Valerie), mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and chicken bouillon powder. You can switch out most of the ingredients for other things you have in your kitchen.

While the rice was cooking I sauteed the onion and celery in butter, and cooked the broccoli. Then I mixed the everything but the topping together in the pan with the rice. (I don't like Puppy Daddy to have to wash extra dishes.) 

Next this mixture went into a baking dish. Now for the topping. A few weeks ago I hosted a pool party. for lunch we had a salad bar and everyone brought a salad topper to share. Well, I think half the guests brought croutons. Of course all the extra bags were left at my house, so I am now trying to think of creative ways to use them. For this dish I just smashed some croutons up, sprinkled them over the top and poured a little melted butter over the top.


I baked the casserole in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Quick, easy and yummy way to use up what's in your pantry and fridge.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice (follow package directions)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 Tb butter, divided
1/2 cup diced water chestnuts
1 cup cooked broccoli (I steamed it in the microwave for 3 minutes)
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
3/4 cup crushed salad croutons

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions. Saute onions and celery in one Tb spoon of butter over medium high heat. Mix together shredded cheese, mayo, sour cream, cream cheese and chicken bouillon powder. Combine this mixture with with the rice, onion, celery, water chestnuts, broccoli and chicken. Put in baking dish. Top with crushed salad croutons and the other Tb of butter, melted. Bake for 20 minutes.