Whole Wheat Lemon Chicken Pasta with Broccoli

ALL YOU NEED:

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• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Preferred seasonings (I always use: parsley, garlic, Mrs. Dash flavors, lemon pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, paprika)
• Water (to boil chicken. You can pan fry if you’d like, but I prefer to boil as it’s more tender)
• 1 tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. dry basil (I always use the shaker kind)
• 12 oz whole grain pasta, penne or rotini
• 2 cups chicken broth, low sodium & calorie
• 1.5-2 cups water (eyeball while boiling pasta and broccoli)
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest, 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (yes, you can use the bottled, but fresh always tastes better! :) )
• 2 cups broccoli (I had 2 heads in my fridge already, but not the patience to cut them up into small pieces so I bought a small bag of precut!)
• ¾ cup almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• ½ cup parmesan cheese

 
Boil chicken until cooked all the way through, about 20-25min (be sure to check). You can add your seasonings here at the beginning or wait to season the breasts until theyre done.  When done set aside on clean cutting board.

While the chicken is cooling off heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic in. cook until fragrent, but careful not to burn. Add in water, lemon juice, chicken broth, pasta and bring to a low boil. Simmer until pasta is slightly tender. (If you let it get completely tender it might be a little soggy by the end of the recipe directions. Lol) Chop chicken into bite size pieces and season to your liking.

Add broccoli and lemon zest to pasta. There should still be at least ½ cup liquid remaining in your pan when you add this. Cover and let simmer until broccoli is slightly tender and pasta is cooked through, about 4 minutes. In those 4 minutes combine milk and corn starch and mix until smooth. This mixture is GREAT for thickening anything and healthier than using heavy cream. Stir in milk mixture, parmesan cheese and chicken. Simmer until the sauce is thick. Enjoy!  
 

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