This is a recipe I "reverse-engineered" from one of my favorite childhood restaurant meals. Matched with bites of silky, garlicky pasta, chicken and broccoli never tasted so marvelous.
1. Using a sharp knife, CAREFULLY chop off the tops and bottoms of the garlic heads and peel each. Peel both heads of garlic and place in a small sauce pot. Cover with olive oil and cook on medium low for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic carefully and let cool. Push softened garlic cloves out of their skins. Reserve the oil as it is now yummy garlic oil for dipping bread and other purposes.
2. Prepare the penne to al dente, reserving some of the pasta water.
3. Mix flour, cornstarch, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Slice chicken breasts across the grain for good bite-size pieces. Coat them in the flour mixture. Heat oil at medium high and pan fry the chicken slices until just done. Remove from pan.
4. Deglaze the pan (meaning, add liquid and scrape up the brown bits) with pasta water, chicken stock, and white wine. Steam the broccoli in this mixture, then add sun dried tomatoes until plump. When broccoli is tender, add the fresh tomatoes and garlic, cook 1 minute, then remove from heat.
5.Add pasta, chicken, and massive amounts of parmesan to the veggies and sauce, along with salt to taste. Top with basil.
Ingredients
Directions
1. Using a sharp knife, CAREFULLY chop off the tops and bottoms of the garlic heads and peel each. Peel both heads of garlic and place in a small sauce pot. Cover with olive oil and cook on medium low for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic carefully and let cool. Push softened garlic cloves out of their skins. Reserve the oil as it is now yummy garlic oil for dipping bread and other purposes.
2. Prepare the penne to al dente, reserving some of the pasta water.
3. Mix flour, cornstarch, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Slice chicken breasts across the grain for good bite-size pieces. Coat them in the flour mixture. Heat oil at medium high and pan fry the chicken slices until just done. Remove from pan.
4. Deglaze the pan (meaning, add liquid and scrape up the brown bits) with pasta water, chicken stock, and white wine. Steam the broccoli in this mixture, then add sun dried tomatoes until plump. When broccoli is tender, add the fresh tomatoes and garlic, cook 1 minute, then remove from heat.
5.Add pasta, chicken, and massive amounts of parmesan to the veggies and sauce, along with salt to taste. Top with basil.