Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Lemon Apricot Pasta With Chicken and Broccoli

I decided to experiment for dinner tonight, and it was insanely delicious. I had plans to make lemon pasta for myself, and I had all the ingredients on hand. I popped over to Waitrose on my home though so I could get some chicken to go with my pasta, and while there inspiration struck. I had already decided to get some broccoli for future macaroni and cheese recipes, and thought that it would go well with my lemon chicken pasta tonight. Then I headed over to the cheese section to see what might be good on top, and discovered Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese with apricot chunks. I love apricot, and I thought that lemon and apricot sounded like a good flavor combination, so I decided to give it a go.
Lemon apricot pasta with chicken and broccoli
 The end result tonight was a wheat spaghetti with a light lemon cream sauce, capers, broccoli, chicken, and the apricot cheese crumbled on top. It was absolutely fantastic; just the right mix of sweet, tart, and creamy. Plus it was very filling, so I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! A win all around.

So, here's how I made my fantastic dinner tonight!

Ingredients:
Pasta of choice (I had wheat spaghetti on hand, but I'm always a fan of angel hair when it comes to lemon sauces)
Chicken breast (I had two, so I decided to cook two as I don't have a freezer)
Broccoli
Laughing cow cheese (2 wedges for the sauce)
Wensleydale cheese with apricot (you can substitute here if you need; go with any soft, crumbly, mild cheese and chop apricot -- fresh or dried, your choice)
Lemon juice (1 tablespoon -- more or less to your own tastes)
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary for flavor

First, get a pot of water boiling and cook the pasta normally. I like to boil water with salt and olive oil in it, personally. Meanwhile, wash and chop your broccoli (and enjoy Dana Carvey choppin' broccoli while you're at it). Then add the broccoli to your boiling water to cook it a little bit (I did this, then later added it to my cooked chicken...you can save the broccoli to cook with the chicken if you prefer, stir-fry style. Whatever flavor you want, and however you want the broccoli cooked).

Anyway, I started cooking my chicken at this point. Rinse the chicken breast(s), and cut it up into bit-size squares. Or strips, however you want to eat your chicken with your pasta. I like bite-size chicken because it cooks faster, and it's easier to eat when everything is done. Anyway, I cooked my chicken in olive oil with salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary for flavor. Cook until the chicken is turning golden-brown and there is no pink.

Drain the pasta as normal, and set aside while you mix your sauce. The sauce is simple; pour a bit of olive oil into the pot (I eyeball, usually enough to cover the bottom of the pot), and put a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese in to melt. Add the lemon juice, and once that's nicely mixed up, put the other wedge of cheese in. Add water as necessary to help the consistency of the sauce. I wanted it to be a little more liquidy than creamy. I didn't put much water in, though. Anyway, stir it all up nicely until you have a smooth sauce. I don't have a whisk, which I'm sure would have simplified the job. A spoon worked well, though. Add the pasta back to the sauce, and stir.

Finally, add the chicken and broccoli to the pasta and mix a bit to get sauce on that. Dish a helping into a bowl or on a plate, and crumble some cheese and apricots on top. I also sprinkled a little more garlic and rosemary on top. That's it! You have an easy, healthy, filling, flavorful dinner! Bon apetit!

2 comments:

  1. Hmm...Wensleydale cheese...reminds me of Wallace and Grommit.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I can't say it without hearing Wallace's voice.

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