Get a large skillet, add a bit of olive oil and place on medium-high heat. Add in your chicken. Sear on both sides for a few minutes until brown. Throw in a couple of Tablespoons of butter, and baste them.
It usually takes about seven minutes for each side, but you can use a meat thermometer to be more exact (it should read 165 degrees when placed in the thickest section of the chicken). If you do go this route, when your chicken is done, chop it up or shred it with two forks.
Now, it’s time to get our pasta and broccoli prepared. Bring a pot of water (with a pinch of salt tossed in) to a boil over medium heat and cook your pasta based on what your box tells you. You can save time by adding your broccoli to your pot of pasta, or the lazy girl way is to grab a microwavable bag of the frozen stuff and toss it in the microwave!
Let’s move on to your sauce: get out a pan on medium-low to low heat and add in butter and diced garlic. Cook for about two minutes. Sprinkle in your flour and whisk it all together. Cook for two more minutes.
Add your milk and whisk away so you don’t have any lumps or bumps in there. Continuously whisk for the next five minutes while everything comes together.
Season your sauce with as much Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt as you like. I also chop up fresh basil and add it in as well.
Side note: you can mix in some Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base and heavy cream to add more flavors (again, this is getting fancy, if you want to invest a little bit more time).
As soon as you see your sauce thickened up, take it off the heat and stir in your cheeses. I have a roomy pan, so from here, I just add in the drained pasta and broccoli, along with the chicken, and stir it up, but pull out a big bowl and combine everything if you don’t have enough space in your pan.
Your final step is to place everything in a baking dish. You can top it with more chicken and cheese. Bake in the oven at 375 for 25 minutes or until everything is a nice golden brown.
When I’m ready to serve it, I throw more fresh basil on top!
What’s your favorite one-pan dinner idea?
