Chicken and Broccoli

The morning started out a little chilly.  I had to stay around the house waiting for the furnace repair man.  Still no fixed furnace; however, a diagnosis and it is not terminal!  Should be fixed in a week. So I wanted old fashioned comfort food.  What better than a pot luck chicken casserole we all know and love?  Only no canned soup or high fat products for midweek.
With yesterday's roast chicken I put on a big pot of stock to simmer all day.  We use chicken stock so often, and it is a no brainer to make your own. Not only do you have clean fresh stock for recipes without a ton of salt, it is basically making food on what you would throw away!  I also made a healthy version of chicken and broccoli casserole.  I won't lie, I would have loved to use cream and butter and tons of cheese, but it is not Junk Food Friday so it is a day to be in control.  This was pretty darn good.  The golden garlic and the parmesan gave it more richness than I expected.

Chicken and Broccoli
printable recipe

2 c. chopped, cooked chicken
2 cups of chopped steamed broccoli
8 oz. whole grain pasta
1 T. olive oil
1-2 tsp. minced garlic
2 T. flour
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c. milk + 2 T. for the end
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
Dash of pepper
3/4 c. grated parmesan
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Reserve about 1/4 c. of cooking liquid.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and add the garlic.  Cook until golden-about 1 minute.
Add the flour and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in the broth, yogurt, milk, pepper, nutmeg and dry mustard.  Bring to a low boil and stir constantly.  Once at a boil, lower heat to a simmer.  Continue stirring until mixture thickens and the flour cooks through. 3-4 minutes

Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

Add the chicken and broccoli to sauce, stir to coat.

Add the pasta, stir to coat.

Add reserved pasta water and the 2 T. of milk.  Stir all and add salt and pepper to taste.

My husband was late coming home tonight.  To keep warm Sprinkled with bread crumbs and kept warm in the oven.   A quick midweek meal that all will like.  With everyone's lives so busy, and most families in and out, this is a nice recipe to hang on to when you want to avoid grabbing something not so good for you!