Chicken and Broccoli Rotini

Simplicity itself. Tonight I was really in the mood for a simple, basically healthy and light meal. This was on the list and it fit the bill perfectly. Of course my family complained that I mixed it all together instead of giving them chicken with broccoli and pasta on the side. But it looked nicer this way and it really was super easy to make. I think it only took about 20 minutes start to finish.

Chicken and Broccoli RotiniYou can't get any simpler, easy ingredients than this! Only 5 ingredients!

* 16 oz fresh chopped broccoli (I used a 10 oz bag of frozen florets)
* 1 (16 oz) package dry Rotini pasta
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used one large since my family balks at my garlic usage)
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* salt and pepper to taste
* Cooked chicken (I used about 9 tenderloin pieces)

1. I pulled some frozen chicken out of the freezer and thawed it about half way in the microwave. I think added it to a skillet with some olive oil and dried onion flakes. I sprinkled salt on both sides as well. I let it cook through and brown while I started the next step.

2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook broccoli until tender. Drain broccoli, reserving the water. Set the broccoli aside and return the water to the pot and cook the pasta in it. The pasta will take about 10 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, I chopped my chicken into pieces.

3. Drain the pasta and set aside. In a skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the minced garlic. Saute for about a minute. Add drained pasta, cooked broccoli, cut chicken and grated Parmesan cheese. Toss together and serve.

This dish is nice and light because there is no sauce, and it is healthy enough to eat a large portion of it. Here is an estimate of the nutrition based on my input on myfitnesspal .

Servings: about 10
331 calories, 43 g carbs, 6 g fat, 22 g protein

Tip: Leave out the chicken for vegetarian and/or to make it a side dish.