Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Peanut Sauce Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

Main Dishes

My hubby found the lid of our food processer in the recycling today. How in the world did it get in there?!? Luckily he noticed it before emptying our bin on the curb and disaster was avoided. I haven’t gotten enough sleep this week, and apparently it caught up with me! Whenever I’m having a super busy week, I go on autopilot in the kitchen and whip up a simple pasta dish that takes care of both the protein and veggie components of the meal.

I make this dish at least once a month and always have all the ingredients on hand because it’s one my favorites! Hearty whole wheat penne, chicken, and broccoli florets are coated in a light and spicy peanut sauce. Simple, easy, delicious.

Peanut Sauce Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups cold chicken stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from pan. Meanwhile, prepare broccoli in the microwave according to the package directions.

Mix chicken stock and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, honey, and crushed red pepper; mix well and add peanut butter.

Pour sauce mixture into skillet the chicken was cooked in and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until peanut butter melts, and sauce thickens and bubbles. Mix pasta, sauce, chicken, and broccoli, and stir until sauce evenly coats all the ingredients. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 508 calories, 14.7g fat, 8.g fiber, 36.4g protein per serving
Cost: $1.01 per serving

Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

The past few weeks have been a bit more crazy than usual because I’ve been working on a grant with my PI while still trying to squeeze in a healthy number of experiments. Our annual genetics department and lab ski retreats have also been thrown into the mix, and I’ve...

Cumin Rubbed Salmon with a Fresh Corn and Red Pepper Sauce

Apolinaras kept popping his head in the kitchen last night while I was prepping dinner because he was so excited we were having salmon. Apparently he thought a little cheering from the sidelines would hurry things along because he kept doing little dances to amuse me....

Gnocchi with Pancetta, Mushrooms, and Gruyere

Apolinaras and I finally checked out Foundry on Elm, a newish hot spot in our neighborhood, on one of our recent date nights. It was packed on the Tuesday evening we went and we could see why after we tried the creative cocktails. Mine was called the Bee’s Knees and...

Pesto Goat Cheese Pizza

When it comes to pizza, I’m a crust girl. It can make or break a pie for me and I will often scavenge up extra pieces of crust from my crazy family members who are somehow not all about the carbs. The very first thing I made with my sourdough starter was this...

Indian Spiced Chicken and Potato Cakes

Whew, what a week! We moved and are finally mostly unpacked, although the guest bedroom is still a bit of a disaster and we need to go shopping for a few accessories (rugs, mirrors, etc). The most important room is completely organized and fully functional already...

Five Spice Scallops over Sesame Spinach

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had seven adults at our celebration, including Shannon and her parents, and my good friend Geeti and her hubby Puneet and their cutie newborn son. Shannon and I split up the menu so we both ended up being quite relaxed...

Spinach Sauce Pasta with Shrimp

Work has been more hectic than usual lately so I was trying to brainstorm ways to be more efficient when a light bulb went off and I realized that I could save a bunch of time if I started running home from work a few times a week! Not only do I get a great workout...

Citrus Glazed Salmon

When I got home from New Orleans this week, I found 3 salmon fillets that my hubby had defrosted in the fridge. Apolinaras is a great cook and loves to grill and throw meals together with whatever is laying around. Because he doesn’t ever follow recipes or write...