Creamy Baked Chicken and Broccoli

I very rarely make meals with cream (especially since I'm slightly lactose intolerant), but for some reason, this recipe spoke to me. And I'm glad I gave it a try! We both enjoyed it. 

The original recipe (from Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice) called for curry, but I forgot to buy some at the store, so I improvised. Instead, I used the Bankok Blend that I had picked up from a Penzeys Spice store a while back. I need to use it more often!

The Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 can of chicken broth
• 1.5 cups of half & half
• 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons of Bangkok Blend spice (or whatever other spice you want to use)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh black pepper
• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 12 ounces of pasta (I used tri-color rotini)
• 3 cups of broccoli

The Steps:

1. Cut chicken into pieces about one or two inches in size. 
2. Grease a 9×13 inch casserole pan and put chicken pieces in bottom.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
4. In a large saucepan, melt 3 Tablespoons of butter and 3 Tablespoons of olive oil together over medium-low heat.
5. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and saute for a couple minutes. 
6. Add 1/4 cup of flour and whisk 2-3 minutes. 
7. Slowly whisk in can of chicken broth, then 1.5 cups of half & half. 
8. Turn heat up and bring to a simmer, simmer slowly for 3 to 4 minutes. 
9. Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 2 Tablespoons of Bangkok spice, salt and pepper.
10. Add the can of diced tomatoes.
11. Bring back to a simmer for 3-4 more minutes. 
12. Remove from heat. 
13. Stir in cilantro.
14. Pour sauce over chicken in the casserole pan.
15. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbly all over and chicken is cooked through. 
16. While chicken and sauce is baking, boil a large pot of water, and cook pasta and broccoli together until pasta is al dente and broccoli is tender.
17. Serve chicken and sauce on top of broccoli and pasta.

The Photos:

Chopped chicken (probably could have chopped the pieces a little smaller) in the bottom of a greased casserole dish.

Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter and 3 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, and enjoy the lovely aroma! Not much smells better than sautéing garlic!

After a couple minutes, 1/4 cup of flour and whisk for a couple minutes.

Add the can of chicken broth.

Add about one and a half cups of half & half. (This was just under the full carton. I probably should have just used it all, as I ended up throwing the rest away a couple days later.) Turn the heat up to to medium-high and let simmer for a 3 to 4 minutes.

Add in 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and 2 Tablespoons of Bangkok Blend, salt, and pepper. (This is where you can get creative of whatever spices you prefer or want to use up!)

Add the can of diced tomatoes and stir.

Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.

Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and put in the 400 degree oven with a 30 minute timer.

Boil a large pot of water and add the pasta and broccoli (cut into bite-sized pieces).

After baking for 30 minutes, the chicken and sauce looks about like this.

I stirred the sauce around a bit, and it looked like this.

The broccoli and pasta is done when the broccoli is tender, and the pasta is al dente.

Add the pasta and broccoli to a bowl and pour the chicken and sauce on top.

Enjoy! I wouldn't freeze leftovers of this one (doubt the creamy sauce would freeze well), but it was great out of the fridge the next day!

We had a little more pasta and broccoli than chicken and sauce, so we just added some Italian dressing to the extra pasta and broccoli and added it as a side to a different meal.