Chicken Broccoli Peanut Pasta

Well, this week's menu planning went to hell in a hand basket! I had been planning to do the Grilled Chicken with Mustard Cream yesterday, but then it went and rained most of the day and was all nasty, so I nixed that. Hubby & I also decided that we are going to head to my parent's home for Easter a day early, so no need for dinner on Thursday night. But, I had set the chicken out the night before so I figured I'd go ahead and use Thursday night's meal.

This recipe comes from Cara's Cravings. The original recipe is intended for 2 people, but I decided since I had double the chicken I might as well double the recipe and Hubby could take leftovers for lunch today.

This was fantastic! Hubby said it was up there in the top weeknight meals I have made. I thought it was equally delicious, not to mention fairly healthy. The amount of peanut butter was perfect - just enough to make it the slightest bit rich, without overwhelming the other flavors.  I increased the amount of crushed red pepper for us (like I always do) and both of us added Sriracha to this - which if you like heat, I definitely suggest it for this dish.

Chicken Broccoli Peanut Pasta

1 tsp olive oil
2 small or 1 large chicken breast, 8-10oz total
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1tsp ground ginger
4oz whole grain pasta, such as Ronzoni Healthy Harvest (used to calculate nutritional information for this recipe)
10oz package frozen chopped broccoli
pinch of crushed red pepper (I used 4 pinches!)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp natural creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp agave nectar or honey
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. When there are about minutes remaining, add the frozen broccoli. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, blend together chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, and agave until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cut the chicken breast into bite-size chunks and season with salt & pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides; remove from pan. Add scallions and garlic, cook one minute more. Add ginger and red pepper; cook for about 30 seconds more. Add the sauce and the chicken to the skillet with the onions, garlic, ginger and pepper. Simmer over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until thickened. Toss with drained pasta and broccoli and heat through. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro.