Creamy Chicken and Penne

Tish's Note:

Sun dried tomatoes and broccoli add color and texture to this dish

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 (1 lb) package penne
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3 x 1" strips
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomato, in oil,drained and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook penne to package directions.
2. Sir in broccoli flowerets for last 2 minutes.
3. In the meantime, saute onion in olive oil in large skillet for approximately 6 minutes, until softened.
4. Add chicken strips and saute for 4 minutes.
5. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and simmer 4 minutes.
6. Drain pasta, broccoli; toss with chicken mixture and top with Parmesan cheese.

Reviews

[Sharlene~W]

I would give this a full 5 stars but I thought it needed a bit of adjusting. I thought 1/2 pound of chicken for 6 servings was not enough--I made it with 1 3/4 pounds. And it is much easier to eat if you cut the chicken into bite-size servings before cooking. I cooked it cut into strips, but then pulled them all out and cut them as I couldn't see any advantage to leaving the pieces big. It was also on the bland side and the sauce to runny. I stirred in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it up, but next time I will try stirring about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into the sauce. That will give the sauce a bit more dimesion and thicken it up a bit. A hint I learned about broccoli--if you cook it just until it is done and then drain it and run cold water over it you can preserve the beautiful green color. I cooked my broccoli separately so I could do this and then tossed it all together and let it warm back up for a minute or two. In spite of the adjustments--a wonderful dish I will definitely make again. Beautiful presentation as well.

[Amber Dawn]

This was good, but needed more seasoning. Also, with so little chicken maybe it should be called "Creamy Penne and Chicken". Is 1/2 pound right or was there a mistake in the recipe. I used more chicken as I was serving it as a main dish.

[Evie*]

Made this for 'Zaar day, no doubt about it being a 5* recipe in my opinion. Chicken and pasta, 2 of my favourite foods. Instead of the broccoli florets I used broccolini which worked fine. I made Erin Ecklunds Blue Cheese Crostini as an accompaniment, they were great together. Also made a quick green salad.Thanks for posting. =)