26 September 2023

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

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By Christine Salins.

www.foodwinetravel.com.au

This quick and easy recipe is one we cooked during self-isolation. It’s a great way of adding healthy green veg to pasta, something we were conscious of while eating lots of pasta and other pantry staples during the Coronavirus lockdown.

It’s based on an Adam Liaw recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Linguine except we didn’t have any linguine so we used spaghetti instead. I took a shortcut and used chicken mince instead of chopping up chicken breast meat as per his recipe.

This was a lot easier but you do have to stir it around a bit so that it doesn’t clump. Liaw says big chunks spoil the overall texture of the dish. Finely chopping the broccoli and chicken allows the ingredients to be incorporated easily with the pasta.

The recipe here contains double the amount of chicken and a little more cream than Liaw’s recipe. We enjoyed it with Chandon 2015 Vintage Blanc de Noirs, a Yarra Valley sparkling wine with plum and fig notes, some acidity to offset the cream and a little bit of earthy minerality that complemented the broccoli.

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Serves 4

1 head broccoli, separated into florets

500g chicken mince

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g dried pasta

1 brown onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

200ml thickened cream

salt and black pepper, to taste

freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Drop the broccoli into the boiling water for about a minute then remove to a cutting board and finely chop. Reserve the water from the broccoli and boil the pasta in it according to the packet directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a wok or very large frying pan over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the chicken until lightly browned, then add the onion and garlic, continuing to fry until they are softened. Add the chopped broccoli and fry for a further three to five minutes. Add the cream and stir well.

When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it (keeping aside about ¼ cup of the pasta water). Add the pasta and reserved pasta water to the pan with the chicken and broccoli, mix it all in together over the heat and season to taste. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top to serve.

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