Spicy Garlic & Lime Chicken Pasta

This one comes from Amber over at Amber’s Delectable Delights. Thanks, Amber!

About a month ago, when we were just getting back into the swing of things at home after the honeymoon, I decided I really wanted to start cooking more. The amount of cooking I was doing had seriously diminished in the weeks and even the last couple of months before the wedding. I was on the prowl for new recipes. Our favorite protein to use in our meals is chicken, and we love meals that pair it with rice or pasta. After taking a look at the ingredients for this recipe, it seemed right up our alley. Plus, I looooove broccoli.

This is tasty stuff. It’s deceiving because based on the pictures, it doesn’t seem like it even has any sauce on it. But the truth is that it is well coated and very flavorful. It’s an easy meal to prepare, too… which is always welcome in our house!

I made it for the second time this past weekend, and we’ve enjoyed leftovers this week. The recipe is below… I’ve included my version instead of copying directly from Amber. We double up the recipe because we like to have leftovers, and whenever we make pasta, I always like to cook up the whole box.

Spicy Garlic & Lime Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
– 2 cups chicken broth
– 3 tbsp. lime juice
– 2 tbsp. corn starch
– 4-5 cloves garlic (Amber’s original recipe calls for 3 cloves, but I’m afraid to actually double it. 6 cloves seems like a lot! Since we use fresh garlic, it’s plenty potent… but you can adjust the amount of garlic to your taste)
– 1 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. black pepper
– 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
– 1/2 tsp. paprika
– 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
– 1/2 tsp. onion powder
– 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
– 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
– Approximately 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
– 2 tbsp. butter or margarine
– Drizzle of olive oil
– A box of pasta (approx. 1 lb.–we use the Barilla Plus or Barilla Whole Wheat, and it usually comes in slightly smaller amounts, like 14.5 oz.)
– 3-4 cups broccoli florets
– Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
1. Boil a pot of water and cook pasta according to your package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cooking time, add the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, mix together all of the sauce ingredients (chicken broth through parsley). Set aside.

3. Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet (we use a big stir fry pan) over medium heat. Add chicken pieces into the heated pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Pour sauce mixture into pan over the chicken and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until chicken has cooked through and sauce has thickened.

4. Add cooked broccoli and pasta into pan and toss to evenly coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.