Fresh vegetables add that seasonal freshness that you can’t get out of a box and homemade pan-fried chicken tenders add that crispy texture that’s just like grandma made, without all the extra calories. There are no preservatives in this delicious, flavorful basically two-pot dish.
This is a simple, easy to make dinner that you can do with or without grilling the chicken – we prefer a pan-fried chicken breast for more flavor. The chicken can easily pan cooked and sliced to make the tenders, then added to the pasta dish for a meal that can be made entirely on the stovetop.
We love this for a weeknight when everyone has had a busy day and no one wants a major cleanup. You can use this as a training recipe for children and teens as well. It’s also easy to prep this meal ahead by cutting and dicing the vegetables and garlic.
Crispy Chicken Tender Pasta Primavera
Prep time: 10 mins.
Cook time: 20 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.
Makes 4 - 5 servings
Substitutions: You can substitute other vegetables like zucchini, carrots or squash for these and use any type of pasta. Just make sure you don’t overwhelm the proportions when you add vegetables – subtract or use smaller portions to make up the difference.
Note: Chicken should be thawed before proceeding with this recipe.
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 C broccoli florets
½ C rough chop red bell pepper (half the pepper)
1 can (14 ½ oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 C water
1 C milk
2 T butter
1 lb (1 box) pasta of choice: spaghetti, angel hair, fettucine, bow tie, rotini
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C grated fresh Parmesan/Reggiano or other flavorful cheese, plus more for garnish
Substitutions: Cheese - Use whatever type you prefer. We've also made this with half Cheddar/half Muenster cheese or a Mexican blend and it is delicious with any of these! This recipe can be gluten free if you substitute gluten free pasta.
Directions:
- Prepare the work area. Cut the broccoli into florets and coarsely chop the red bell pepper, mince the garlic, set aside. Rinse and pat dry the chicken on a separate cutting board. Pound flat (about 1 in. thick) for even cooking. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper.
- Measure the liquids and pour chicken broth, water, milk and butter into the cooking pot and bring to a boil.
- Add box of pasta and boil 5 minutes. Stir in the diced red pepper, broccoli florets, garlic and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Boil for 5 minutes more and remove from heat. It will look soupy.
- Let stand to thicken about 10 minutes while you fry the chicken.
- Heat a 10” saute pan on medium high and 1 T olive oil. Once oil is hot, add both chicken breasts, making sure they are flat for cooking evenly. You can use the pan lid to help them cook faster and stay tender by partially covering the pan to capture the steam, turning the breasts as they brown. Chicken should always be 165 degrees to be fully cooked, and since these are thin pieces they should cook in about 4 minutes per side, 8 minutes total per piece.
- Remove breasts from pan and slice into tenders.
- Plate the pasta dish and add the tenders on top. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.
- Enjoy!
This dish is healthy, tasty and foolproof!
Adapted from a 2002 Pampered Chef cookbook without the instant cheese sauce.