Chicken and broccoli pasta
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
Over-cooking veg isn't always a bad thing. Inspired by the Tuscan sauce of mashed, braised broccoli this (very non-traditional) chicken and broccoli pasta is garlicky, cheesy and gloriously comforting.
Each serving provides 650 kcal, 46g protein, 66g carbohydrates (of which 4g sugars), 21g fat (of which 5g saturates), 8g fibre and 0.5g salt.
By Sarah Cook
Ingredients
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
- 2 large skinless chicken breasts
- 1 broccoli, about 350g/12oz, cut into big florets including the stalk
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
- 1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked and finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried rosemary)
- 350g/12oz dried pasta
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 50g/1¾oz Parmesan, finely grated
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
To poach the chicken, put the stock in a saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. Drop in the chicken breasts, put on the lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10–12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through but still juicy.
Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside, reserving the poaching liquid. (Skim off any scum on top.) When cool enough to handle, shred or chop the chicken into pieces.
Bring the stock back to the boil and add the broccoli. Boil for 5 minutes until really tender, then scoop the broccoli out of the stock into a bowl.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic and rosemary for 2–3 minutes until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Add the broccoli and half the poaching stock and simmer, mashing down the broccoli with the back of a spoon into a very soft sauce. (Add more stock as needed.) It can be as chunky as you like it. When the broccoli sauce is ‘creamy’, smooth and no longer watery, stir through the chicken until warmed through.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain thoroughly, reserving a cup of the water.
Toss the pasta into the sauce with the lemon zest, half of the Parmesan and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add a splash of the pasta water to loosen the sauce so it coats the pasta well. Serve with the rest of the Parmesan and a drizzle more oil.
Recipe tips
This recipe uses chicken and chicken stock, but you could easily use vegetable stock and make it without meat. Orecchiette or casarecce is the often used with this broccoli sauce, but shells, farfalle or fusilli would work well too.
