What's Cookin' Wednesday

Penne Primavera with Chicken

 

This is yet another Pioneer Woman recipe I've modified a bit.

It was a few step process, but the end result is amazing.

 

So...Here it is...

 

For the vegetables:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally

1 cup bite-size broccoli pieces
Asparagus (I used a handful, chopped up)
String Beans (I used a hand full, chopped)

1/2 container of mushrooms, washed and sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced diagonally

1 medium summer squash, sliced diagonally
1/2 cup frozen peas (at the very end)

*You can use more or less or whatever other veggies you prefer. This is what I used and we loved it! *

 

Sauce:

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 whole fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more for serving

1 pound pasta (mini penne), cooked according to package directions and drained
1 Rotisserie Chicken

Here is what you do - it's a bunch of steps...be patient...it's worth it!

First, prep the vegetables.

Chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ cups worth.
Dice half a yellow onion.
Chop 3 to 4 cloves of garlic.
Slice carrots on the bias and do the same for the zucchini and yellow squash.

Roughly slice the mushrooms.

 

Heat 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic together and cook for a minute or two, until they start to turn translucent.

Then throw in the broccoli. Stir, and add in the carrots.

Then add your Asparagus and green beans

Stir it around, and  cook it for only a minute, tops. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

 

Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet as needed.

Add squash and zucchini, cook for less than a minute, then transfer to plate.

Cook mushrooms for a minute or two (add salt to taste), and again transfer to the plate.

 

Add pasta to slightly salted boiling water and cook to al dente.

 

FOR THE SAUCE

 

To make the sauce, pour ¼ to ½ cup dry white wine into the skillet.

Add ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, a tablespoon of butter and scrape the bottom of the skillet to pull up the flavor left behind by the veggie cooking.

Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid starts to thicken.

Add 1 cup whipping cream and 1 cup half-and-half.

Measure out ½ cup grated Parmesan; add to the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Chiffonade 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves and add that to the sauce; stir.

 

Dump veggies and mushrooms into the sauce along with ½ cup frozen peas right out of the freezer. Add pasta al dente and stir. Add your shredded up chiken pulled from the rotisserie. If the sauce seems a little thick, or if there doesn’t seem to be enough sauce, add a good splash of chicken broth and a little more half-and-half.

Top with more Parmesan, salt, pepper, and basil to taste.

 

ENJOY!!

~Tiffany~