Pasta with Roasted Garlic Cheese Sauce, Chicken, and Broccoli

Adapted very slightly from annieseats.com

This dish was easy to put together.  If you haven't noticed a trend by now, I am always looking for shortcuts to recipes.  For this one, I used the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken in place of the grilled chicken, which added a wonderful depth of flavor to the dish.  I also tossed my broccoli in to cook with my pasta (one less pot to clean that way, right?)

I've never made roasted garlic paste, so when I found a tube of it in the produce section of the grocery store, I picked one up.  Only after I got it home did I realize it wasn't roasted garlic, it was finely minced garlic made into a paste.  If you go this route, I recommend using less than 1/4 cup.  I think the roasting of the garlic mellows the garlic flavor, and since my paste wasn't roasted, it was a little strong.  It was still good, though, and made yummy leftovers, too!

Oh, and if you are wondering why there is orange in my picture- it's not cheese.  I used tri-color pasta.  

Ingredients

8 oz. pasta
1½ tbsp. butter
¼ cup roasted garlic paste*
1½ tbsp. flour
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
3 cups broccoli florets, blanched or steamed until tender-crisp
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled and cut into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste

*If you need directions for making garlic paste, refer to Annie’s original post, as she has the details there.

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Then, whisk in the roasted garlic paste and cook just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.  Whisk the flour into the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns golden brown, approximately 1-2 minutes.  

Add the white wine and broth.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheese and stir until melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix in the broccoli florets and chicken pieces, and cook just until heated through.  Pour mixture over the pasta and stir until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.

Yields: 4-6 servings

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