Chicken, Broccoli, And Ziti

The great thing about this dinner is that it is a restaurant dish, that you can make quickly, and easily. Another great thing that is also very season-appropriate…this is the perfect dish for your turkey leftovers! Replace the turkey for the chicken and you’ve got yourself an easy day after Thanksgiving dish!Thanksgiving is coming up, but since we go to Mom and Dads, its not a big production in my house. Although I AM in charge of the appetizers! No surprise there. But a Thanksgiving turkey (despite the fact that we’ve grown from a family of 6 to a family of 9 with all our boyfriends present) is the dish that just keeps on giving. Mom always had so much leftover and we eat so richly on Thanksgiving that we were always on the lookout for easy dishes that were light for your tummy!

This fits the bill perfectly. Whether chicken or turkey, this is a delicious meal that works even better as a work lunch! It’s one of those “Confessions of a Food Blogger” dinners that I make often when John isn’t around. I should note that I used to make this dish all the time for the two of us but after he once told me its “not his favorite” (basically the worst thing he will ever say about one of my dishes), I kept making it just for me. It is one of my favorites. That’s the important part, right?

Chicken, Broccoli, and Ziti
Serves: 4
2 chicken breasts (or 2 cups of chopped pre-cooked turkey or chicken)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons pepper
1 box ziti (or other pasta)
2 heads of broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Dice the chicken breasts. Season them with salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. In a greased skillet, brown the chicken breasts over high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low and let the chicken cook through (about 12 minutes). Meanwhile, fill two pots with water and let boil. Then, cook the pasta according to box instructions. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and place in the second boiling pot of water for about 10 minutes, until bright green but still crunchy. Drain both the pasta and broccoli. In a large bowl, add the pasta, broccoli, and chicken. Toss with olive oil, garlic salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with extra parmesan cheese, if desired.

Until the next time my oven is on…