Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese

Happy Nom Nom Monday!  For today's dish I have a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Best Ever 30-minute Cookbook by Jenni Fleetwood.  It's called Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese.  

Ingredients:

- 3 1/2 cups penne pasta

- 1 cup broccoli

- 4 tablespoons of butter

- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into strips)

- 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

- 1/2 cup dry white wine

- 1 cup heavy cream

- 4 oz gorgonzola 

- salt and pepper 

- parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

Begin by bringing two pots of water to a boil.  Add the pasta to one pot of boiling water, let cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.  

Add the broccoli florets to the other pot of boiling water, cook for about 2 minutes, drain and cool with cold water, and set aside.  

In a large frying pan melt the butter.  Over medium heat cook the chicken strips and chopped garlic.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook for about five minutes or until the chicken turns white.  

Add the dry white wine and heavy cream.  Stir continually, and let simmer until the chicken is completely cooked.  

Add the broccoli, stir, and season with salt and pepper again.  

Stir in the noodles, and then add the gorgonzola cheese over low heat.  Serve with fresh parmesan cheese grated over the top.  

This dish was yummy!  I would definitely suggest having everything prepped and measured out before getting started.  If you want to decrease the number of dirty dish you can cook the broccoli and then the pasta, using the same pan.  No matter the number of dishes, this meal is fantastic.  I love how rich it is, yet it's not sickeningly creamy.  The dry white wine adds the necessary lightness to keep the cream and cheese from weighing down this flavorful dish.  

Hope ya'll enjoyed as much as I did, and happy Nom Nom Monday, chris!