Basil Chicken and Pasta

Monday nights can be insanely busy at my house. My boys have their Boy Scout meeting, and often, my daughter has some function for Girl Scouts. Trying to get everyone fed before we head out the door can be challenging, to say the least. This past Monday was no exception. I had chicken out, but I was really tired of my chicken and rice stand by. When I cam across this recipe, I thought it had the possibility to be good, but the original recipe needed some work. Bland food is not something my family is big on! With a few tweeks, this dish came out great, and was still pretty fast to get to the table!



Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs will work) cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 TBS olive oil

12 oz. rotini or baby penne**

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli

(2) 4 oz. cans of sliced mushrooms, drained

2 tsp lemon pepper

4 tsp dried basil

2 1/2 cups of milk

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed**

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese



Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook pasta according to directions. Set aside.


2. In a large skillet, add olive oil, chicken, garlic, broccoli, mushrooms, and 1 tsp of the dried basil. Cook until the juices run clear.


3. In a sauce pan, add milk, lemon pepper, remaining basil, cubed cream cheese and paremesan cheese. Stir frequently until the ingredients are well incorporated. Sauce should be slightly thick.


4. Add sauce to chicken mixture. Add pasta and toss. Serve immediately.

**Barilla makes an awesome baby Penne

**I use Kraft light cream cheese to cut back on the fat and calories, but you can use regular if you want!