Garlic Chicken Farfalle

*Photo by Kevin and Amanda

My family and I absolutely LOVE this recipe. We have this quite a bit when we have people over for dinner and they always ask for the recipe... which I usually forget to give them. *blush* I am so absentminded sometimes. But here it is. Try it! I guarantee it will become your new favorite. The flavors are awesome. And leftovers are REALLY good too-and that is saying something as I generally do not like leftovers. Head over to Kevin and Amanda to see the original post on her Garlic Chicken Farfalle recipe. 

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

Ingredients:

-     16 oz. Farfalle pasta

-     1 c. heavy whipping cream

-     3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

-     2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt                                 

-     1 Tbsp. pepper (I know it seems like a lot-but trust me it is good. If you are hesitant you can just do 1/2 tbs though)

-     1/2 c. butter

-     1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumpled

-     1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

-     1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

In a Crock pot, cook chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

* An easy way to do the bacon is cook it in the oven. WAY easier and less messy. I usually cook it for about 30min on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

*Photo by Kevin and Amanda

This is a REALLY great recipe. Whenever we are going to have company, we have this a lot of the time. It is easy, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. And it is DELICIOUS! I love it! Go over to Kevin and Amanda to see the original post with more pics of this Grilled Chicken Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce.

Grilled Chicken Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

*AKA Tomato Basil Pasta in our house :)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Montreal Steak seasoning (I actually used Montreal Chicken Seasoning, we just liked it better, but both were good) :)
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 to 1 tsp salt & pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded

Rinse chicken breasts in cold water. Layer between sheets of wax paper and pound to even thickness. Season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning. Preheat grill for medium high heat, lightly oil grate, and grill chicken breasts on medium high heat for 6-8 mins each side. OR heat 2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter and olive oil is nice and hot, add chicken breasts and cook 5 mins each side. Set chicken aside to cool. In a large pot, boil water with 1 tbsp salt. Add 1/2 lb penne pasta noodles and boil according to package directions. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender, but do not let the garlic turn brown (about 3-5 mins). Add the chicken broth to the pan and allow to reduce by half. Meanwhile, slice chicken. Once the broth has reduced, stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low. Chop the parsley and basil, add to sauce and mix well. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir well to coat. Serve pasta on plates, top with sliced chicken.

Colorful Chicken Alfredo

*Photo by Kevin and Amanda

I have to say that Amanda's site is one of my all time absolute favorite sites. I love her recipes, fonts, fashion tips, EVERYTHING! Some of our all time favorite recipes came from her site.

Here is one of them. Do not be daunted, it really is a pretty easy recipe. And SO WORTH IT. It is so flavorful and your taste buds will literally SING when you taste this. Go over to see her original post with more pics of the Colorful Chicken Alfredo.

Colorful Chicken Alfredo

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 quarts water
8-10 bouillon cubes

1 quart water
1 tbsp salt
1/2 lb farfalle noodles

1/2 cup reserved chicken broth
3 tbsp butter
1 cup half and half
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt and pepper each

1 tbsp butter
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper

6 leaves fresh basil chiffonade

Directions

Place rinsed chicken and 8-10 bouillon cubes in a large pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 20 mins until chicken is done. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle, then cut into bite sized pieces. Strain the broth and save 1/2 cup. Keep the rest of the broth in the fridge (up to 1 week) or freezer for later use (great for making rice!).

Boil farfalle noodles with at least 1 quart of water in a large pot with 1 tbsp salt for 11 mins (or according to pkg instructions).

In a small saucepan, heat the 1/2 cup reserved chicken broth and 3 tbsp butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add 1 cup half and half, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each. Stir to combine, then slowly whisk in the 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Let simmer, whisking occasionally.

Slice bell peppers into matchsticks. Melt 1 tbsp butter over medium high heat, then saute bell peppers for about 5-6 mins. Add in chopped chicken and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine flavors. Turn heat down to low and pour the cream sauce over the chicken and bell peppers. Stir to combine- let simmer.

Chiffonade the basil, drain and plate the noodles, then toss with the chicken, bell peppers and sweet alfredo sauce. Top with basil.