Olive Garden Chicken Giardino

Submitted by Stephanie Z.

"Copycat... For veggies, Olive Garden uses whatever is in season such as diced red peppers, carrots, summer squash, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, peas, diced tomatoes, and asparagus."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 22
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• Giardino sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 1⁄2 cups chablis
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sauce mix
• 1⁄2 cup cream
• salt and pepper

• Pasta dish

• 16 ounces chicken tenderloins, each cut into thirds (about 4)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 head broccoli, pulled apart into smaller pieces
• 6 ounces Baby Spinach
• 1⁄2 cup peas
• 16 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 1⁄2 cup asparagus, heads
• 1 lb farfalle pasta

directions

1. Giardino sauce:

2. Heat butter in pan and add garlic (low heat), add thyme, Chablis, crushed pepper, and lemon juice. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat.
3. **Make sure that you cook long enough to reduce the acidity of the lemon juice, or when you add the cream, it will curdle.
4. Add water. Mix white sauce mix with some cream so it's not lumpy and add to pan.
5. Add the cream and stir until slightly thickened. Set aside.
6. Saute the chicken pieces over medium heat. Set aside.
7. In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to directions, until almost done.
8. Meanwhile, saute veggies, starting with the denser veggies first (carrots, asparagus, peppers) and add the rest of the veggies and cook until done but not soggy.
9. Add cooked farfalle pasta to pan and add sauce and chicken. Cook until heated through and thickened.