Chicken Pasta Primavera
Chicken Pasta Primavera is a 30 minute meal packed with fresh vegetables, juicy chicken, and pasta in delectable parmesan cream sauce.
Equipment
- Dutch oven or skillet
Ingredients
For the cream sauce
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the chicken
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 pound (450 g) chicken breast diced into 1 inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces (225 g) dried pasta any shape
For the vegetables
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 3-4 cups fresh prepped vegetables such as chopped asparagus, sliced zucchini, bell pepper, chopped broccoli, thinly sliced red onion, fresh or frozen peas, halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the cream sauce: in a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and parmesan, and whisk until you get a homogeneous sauce (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook the chicken: In a large relatively deep skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat, add the chicken and immediately season with italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Cook and stir the chicken until it’s fully cooked, about 4 minutes. Remove onto a plate and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salt water according to package directions. Reserve pasta water to thin out the sauce later if you need to.
- To the same skillet or dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and add all the vegetables (except for cherry tomatoes if using), and cook for about 5 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes in the last 30 seconds.
- To the vegetables, add pasta, and cream sauce (and pasta water if needed). Gently toss to combine, and add chicken, and toss again. Remove from heat, serve immediately.
Notes
- Take a shortcut: Instead of cooking chicken, add in shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken instead!
- Cutting the vegetables: When prepping, you want to take care that the veggies are cut into bite sized pieces that will cook fairly quickly. Thin slices and small pieces are ideal.
- Make substitutions: You need 3-4 cups of fresh sliced vegetables for this recipe, so feel free to fill those cups however you like! If your family loves broccoli but dislikes asparagus (or vice versa) you can make that happen. You can also add things, like corn kernels, mushrooms, or grated carrots.
- Try with extra garlic or spice. If you really enjoy garlic, feel free to increase it to 4 cloves instead of just 3. A pinch of crushed red pepper is also a tasty way to add some spicy flavor.
- Use the pasta water: Before you drain the pasta, pull out a cup or so of the starchy cooking water and set it aside. You may or may not need it to thin out the parmesan cream sauce when you're putting the dish together.
- Season to taste: Parmesan cheese can be quite salty, so you may not need to add any salt to the sauce. Taste it and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 755kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 811mg | Potassium: 842mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1686IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 248mg | Iron: 2mg
Find it online: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/chicken-pasta-primavera/