Chicken, Ziti, and Broccoli

Posted on October 14, 2008 by kitchenbelle

 

 

Strangely, after cooking for so many years, I think this was the first time I have ever made chicken, ziti, and broccoli.  I think I have put it off because every time I have eaten it (usually at a catered event, not by choice) I have found it extremely oily and bland.  However, because so many people seem to love it, I figured it deserved a shot.  After all, it is an easy hearty dish that is perfect for reheating individual portions.  And it contains broccoli.  And chicken.  And pasta.  Bing, bang, boom–all virtues in my book.

So I gave this a chance, and it is delicious.  I hardly ever cook with butter*, but I abided as it is only 2 tablespoons across the entire dish. The sauce is flavorful and a slightly creamy, though not rich.  The chicken pieces were tender, moist, and tasty.  The dish was by no means oily.  I am so happy I tried it out.  I think this is a great weeknight and crowd pleasing supper!

*Notice I said cook with butter–I bake with it all of the time!

Chicken, Ziti, and Broccoli:

  • 1 pound of ziti or rigatoni
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, sliced into bite-size pieces and seasoned on all sides with salt and pepper
  • 4-8 cloves of garlic, minced (Note–I always use way more garlic than a recipe suggests.  Use what is right for your taste.)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup of chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 4 tablespoons (or up to 3/4 cup) grated cheese (a combination of romano + mozzarella works well)
  • 2 cups of broccoli florets
  • 2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped

Boil the ziti.

In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil.  Add the chicken pieces and saute until brown on all sides.  Add the garlic and saute lightly.  Add the white wine and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.

In a separate small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and mix until a sandy consistency. (This is a roux.)   Add this flour mixture to the chicken/garlic/liquid. Stir well to avoid lumps. Add the grated cheese and broccoli.  Let it cook until the broccoli is tender (not mushy).

Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain ziti and pour into a 9×13 dish. Pour chicken/broccoli on top and mix carefully.

Adapted from Assaggio’s Recipe found here.

Filed under: broccoli, chicken, Main Dish, pasta | 20 Comments »

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Posted on August 7, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I knew immediately when I saw this here at a Taste of Home Cooking that it would be something my husband and I would really enjoy!  And I was right!  This was delicious!  I may even make another one tonight!  That’s how good it was.  To take the words directly from my husband’s mouth, “This is amazing.”  (There may even have been an expletive in there!)  It is nice and spicy, but the ranch offers a sweet cool balance.  And served with a hearty salad this meal is just heavenly! 

I took The Home Cook’s advice and rather than use dough from the local supermarket, I purchased it from a well-known local Italian bakery.  What a great idea!  I can’t wait to make (and eat!) this again!  Thanks Home Cook! 

My dough rolling skills, do, however, leave something to be desired.  This pizza was neither a circle nor a square, and not by choice.  Does anyone have any suggestions on that front?  Nonetheless, the shape was irrelevant, as this was scrumptious!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza: 

  • one ball of fresh pizza dough
  • chicken, cooked and cut into small pieces*
  • 1/2 cup Frank’s Buffalo Chicken sauce
  • 3 fresh scallions, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups ranch dressing
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.  In a pan over low heat toss and coat the chicken pieces (already cooked) with the Frank’s Buffalo chicken sauce.  Set aside.  I don’t have a pizza stone so I rolled out the dough on parchment paper over a cookie sheet.  Spread the ranch dressing over the dough.  Top with half of the mozzarella and then half of the scallions.  Now scatter the sauce covered chicken pieces over the pizza.  Cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Drizzle additional Frank’s over the pizza if you desire, but don’t drench it.  Top with remaining scallions.  Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until dough is crisped to your liking. 

*You can use pre-cooked chicken found in the butcher/deli, a rotisserie deli chicken, or cook your own chicken breasts.  Any of those types of chicken work fine for this recipe.

Filed under: chicken, Main Dish, pizza | 8 Comments »

Chicken Sausage Burgers

Posted on July 7, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I thought these burgers were delicious!  Because of the fennel seed and other spices, they tasted very much like sausage patties, but fresh, and without all of that fat.  Also, the red pepper gave them a nice kick!  I found them to be much more interesting than traditional burgers–a nice way to add some depth to typical cookout food.

Chicken Sausage Burgers:

  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 pound ground turkey (package actually contained about 1.5 lbs of meat, which was fine)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • juice of one orange
  • 2 generous handfuls of grated parmigiano cheese
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Place the ground meat in a bowl and add the fennel seed, red pepper flakes, allspice, orange zest, garlic, salt and pepper.  Using your hands, mix the meat with the seasoning and form about seven patties.   Make a shallow dent in the top of each burger to prevent the burger from bulging as it cooks.  Place burgers on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Drizzle burgers liberally with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on the top of each.  Layer wax paper between layers of burgers.  Cook on low heat on the grill (about 10 minutes on each side) until there is no longer pink in the center.  Be careful not to overcook.  Serve on fresh crusty rolls slathered with sweet BBQ sauce. 

These were juicy and delicious!

recipe notes: makes about 7 medium size burgers, recipe called for orange zest, which I omitted, recipe only used chicken, but I used half turkey half chicken to make the burgers a little tastier and less dry, I doubled this recipe, which is why there are 14 burgers in the photo.

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray’s recipe found here on foodnetwork.com

Filed under: chicken, ground meat, Main Dish, turkey | Leave a comment »

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