Whole Wheat Penne Pasta with Chicken and Veggies

I was hungry for something creamy and pasta-y with chicken and veggies, so I put “pasta with chicken and veggies” on the menu this week and made the recipe up on the fly. It turned out very nice.

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
3 split chicken breasts
2 tsp salt (Kosher or sea salt is best)
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
½ large onion
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup flour
1 cup milk
2 carrots
⅔ cup frozen green peas
1 sweet red pepper
1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta

frying pan
sharp knife/cutting board
measuring cups/spoons
large pot
collander
whisk

Slice onion.

Mince garlic.

Slice carrots.

Slice pepper.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add olive oil to the boiling water before adding the pasta. This will prevent the pasta from sticking together. Drain.

Heat olive oil in frying pan over slightly above medium heat. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Place them in the pan, flesh side down. Cover with sliced onions and garlic (keeping them on the breasts and not in the oil – they’ll cook too fast otherwise.) Cover the pan so that the steam will trap the flavors of the onion and garlic.

After 5-7 minutes, turn the chicken and allow the onions and garlic into the oil. After 5 minutes, turn the chicken again so that the flesh of the chicken is cooking on a bed of onion and garlic.

Do you see how crisp the skin is? All of the yummy fat has worked out of the skin into that pan.

Remove the chicken and onions from the pan. Do you see how beautifully carmelized the onions became?

Remove the meat from the bones and chop into bite-sized pieces.

In the fat that’s left in the pan, sprinkle flour and whisk until smooth.

While whisking, add the milk. (You’re making a gravy here.) Add 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp fresh ground pepper.

Bring to a boil. The sauce will thicken as it boils. Boil for one minute.

Add the carrots and stir. With the heat on medium-low, put the lid on and let them cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the peppers and peas.

Put the lid on the pan. While the veggies are cooking, remove the chicken from the bone and chop into bite-sized pieces.

Add to the pan.

Mix well. Add to the pasta. (If it is too thick, you can add a little bit of milk at a time until it is the consistency you want.)

Mix well. Serve and enjoy. I served it with homemade French bread and a green salad.

Serves 6-8

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Very high in niacin High in selenium High in vitamin A High in vitamin C
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The peppers are really what “made” this dish. Their flavor was perfect with the ‘gravy’ and the chicken.

Some thinly sliced Parmesean cheese would have gone well with this dish, I think.

It was awesome the next day for lunch!

I would love to hear any feedback about this recipe.  Did you make it?  Did you enjoy it?  Did you make any adjustments to it?

Hallee

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