I love those kinds of recipes that you can toss together last minute and feed everyone! We live on a farm that is quite a drive from the nearest large city, so we keep a good amount of pantry, fridge, and freezer staples on hand. Of course for the sake of saving money, I like keeping foods that have a longer shelf-life, including things that can be frozen, vacuum-sealed, or canned.
Putting Together a Pantry Dinner
This meal came together thanks to having some items always on hand for quick meals. Dry pasta, frozen chicken, frozen veggies, and long-life refrigerator cheeses (cream cheese and parmesan) make this meal a snap to throw together with things that are just kept around and won’t spoil quickly.
Frozen Chicken Breast
One of those things I love having on hand is frozen chicken breast. They are versatile to use in so many different recipes and are easy enough to throw into the oven or toss into a slow cooker with little to no effort.
Dry Pasta
One box of pasta feeds our family of 4, usually allowing leftovers for the next day’s lunch. It can be used in so many recipes – lasts 2 years or more on the shelf, and is relatively inexpensive. We love using fettuccini noodles for this, but you could sub any pasta you like. (We’ve enjoyed it with bow-tie pasta)!
Bulk Frozen Broccoli or Veggie Substitutions
We keep several veggies in bulk in our freezer, but broccoli and peas are probably utilized more than the rest! They are both a great way to add some extra goodness to quick dishes; pasta, casseroles, soups, stir-fry.
You could absolutely replace the broccoli in this meal for asparagus, peas, or mushrooms.
Dairy That Lasts Longer
Lastly, we always like to keep parmesan cheese (the block that you shred yourself) and cream cheese as dairy staples, because they both last a lot longer than average cheese or dairy. They can both be used in sauces, and cream cheese works in a number of dessert recipes as well.
We also love butter in this house (the real stuff) and it keeps well in the freezer until ready to use! Butter makes everything better!
Take It Over The Top
One thing that really makes this dish a luxurious meal is the addition of bacon! If you have it around, already cooked, it is just delicious in this pasta dish!
A Multi-Tasking Dinner
The secret behind getting this dinner on the table with limited work is to have the parts cooking simultaneously, and then bringing it all together.
I start baking the chicken breast ahead of time – it can rest on the counter if it is ready before the rest of the meal. (You could even cook it a day or two ahead of time in bulk and divide out what you need for this meal).
Pasta cooks itself on the stove in a big stock pot, and the broccoli can be microwave-steamed if you are really in a hurry to get it all done!
The sauce is all you have to babysit, and it’s ready in about 10 minutes.
So, let’s get cooking! Leave a comment if you try this recipe and enjoy it!
Easy Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Ingredients
- 3 frozen chicken breasts
- 1 bag frozen broccoli
- 1 box dry pasta (we use fettuccini noodles)
- 1 block cream cheese (divided ½ and ½)
- 1/2 c water (divided ¼ and ¼ cups)
- 1/2 c butter (1 stick)
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ c grated fresh parmesan cheese
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- If you are using frozen chicken breasts like I do, then preheat your oven to 400℉. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle a little olive oil and then cover the whole pan with foil. Bake the chicken breasts covered for about 30 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or more (depending on the size of your chicken breasts). Once the internal temperature reaches 165℉, Remove the pan from the oven, cover the chicken breasts while cooling until ready to add to the dish. I put the chicken in to cook about 30 minutes before making the rest of the dish.
- Place a stock pot of water on high heat, preparing for cooking the pasta noodles.
- In a large sauté pan, begin melting your butter over low heat.
- While the butter is melting, you'll want to thin your cream cheese. I do this by adding ½ of the block to ¼ c water and blending in a small blender. Then, do the same with the remaining ½ block and ¼ water.
- Add the thinned cream cheese to the sauce pan of butter. Simmer on low for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in the garlic, seasoning, and salt and pepper.
- Whisk in the shredded parmesan cheese. Add in the nutmeg.
- As soon as your stock pot of water is boiling, add your pasta noodles and cook to preferred doneness (usually about 8-10 minutes). Drain the pasta, saving some of the water in case you need to thin your sauce.
- Microwave your frozen broccoli according to the package directions, or simmer in a pot of water until ready to add to the pasta mixture. (If using fresh broccoli, you can simmer or steam it, whatever your preference). Usually, the chicken is about done baking at this time. I like to cut it into bite-sized pieces before adding to the pasta.
- Once all your components are ready, add them to the sauce and stir to combine. Use some of the reserved pasta water if your sauce needs thinning.Serve immediately.