Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

So, I've been bored. Seriously, seriously bored. The weather is changing and my taste for baked goods is leaving along with winter. I can hardly wait for summer vegetables and fruits. I miss zucchini and cantaloupe and watermelon and things like that. When planning dinner tonight, I didn't want the same stuff we normally have...I headed to my recipe notebook, where I put recipes that tickled my fancy and looked to see what I could come up with. I ran across the recipe for Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo and realized I had all the ingredients. (Okay, I didn't have linguine and I was going to just use spaghetti, but then the rim for Buttercup's bike came into the bike shop, so we headed out anyway and I stopped to get linguine--but I digress...) I am really glad I picked this recipe. Superman loved it. The kids liked it (they decided they didn't like it while I was cooking it, so the fact that they admitted to liking it when I served it says a lot!) Bored like me? Try a new recipe!

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
Serves 4

Prep. 10 minutes/ Cook 20 minutes

1/2 of a 16 oz package of Linguine
1 cup of fresh or frozen broccoli florets [I used 2+ cups of fresh broccoli]
2 tbsp butter [I used olive oil]
1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2" pieces [I used two breasts]
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese [I used fresh and grated it myself]
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Prepare linguine according to package directions in 3 quart saucepan. Add broccoli during last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain linguine and broccoli well.

2. Heat butter [I used olive oil] in 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

3. Stir soup, milk, cheese, black pepper, and linguine/broccoli mixture into skillet. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbling.

Top with additional Parmesan.

Seriously, this was really, really good and really, really easy. It would lend itself to all kinds of variations, depending upon what pasta and vegetables you have on hand. I'm definitely adding it to our rotation.

Notes: So, here is what I did wrong! I didn't read the directions carefully and cooked an entire box of linguine. That meant I had to double the amount of sauce I made, so I used 2 cans of soup, 1 cup of milk, and about 3/4 cup of Parmesan. (I really didn't want it to be overly cheesy..I knew the kids would mutiny.) The two chicken breasts were still enough meat and I had already put in 2+ cups of fresh broccoli into the boiling linguine water...it ended up being fine. Oh, and since I had messed up, I had to switch the chicken to a bigger skillet (an extra pan to wash!). So, learn from my experience and read the directions thoroughly! It worked out well, though, as Superman is now excited by his lunches for the next two days.

Oh, one more thing: Superman and I both agree that the chicken should be seasoned when it is cooked. The directions don't call for it and so I didn't season the meat as it cooked. A little salt and maybe garlic would add a little more depth to the flavors.