This has to be one of my favorite comfort foods ever! And one of my favorite recipes for it! I have made Alfredo sauce fore this recipe many different ways, but this Garlic Cream Sauce, has to be my favorite. The cream sauce has loads of flavor!
I use this same garlic cream sauce in my Ziti and Broccoli in Garlic Cream Sauce. It’s light, flavorful and delicious.
Many restaurants you go to, the chicken is white. The sauce is white and thick. The ziti is white. Most dishes look like a white glob and tasteless. Since you eat with your eyes first, immediately the dish looks terrible. 
I like this dish to have a flavorful thin sauce not to overpower the broccoli. Bright colored broccoli, and browned seared chicken slices on top. It is as colorful as it is delicious. This is how my favorite Italian restaurant prepares it, so I thought I would make it exactly like that! 
To make the garlic cream sauce, heat butter in a large skillet over moderate heat.
Add garlic and cook only until fragrant (about a minute or two). DO NOT brown! If garlic is browned, throw out and start again. Burnt garlic will ruin any recipe!
Add the wine and reduce for 1 minute or so, or until reduced to about 1 tablespoon.
Warm cream in microwave slightly and add cream to the skillet. (Adding cold cream to a hot pan could make the cream curdle).
Add the grated Parmesan cheese. Increase the heat to moderately high, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes, until the cream thickens and is reduced by a third. Set aside.
Cook ziti in a pot of boiling water for the recommended cooking times. Drain and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet with some butter or olive oil. Take each chicken breast half and slice in half horizontally. Seat until browned on both sides and fully cooked. Set aside to cool slightly and slice into slices.
I precook the broccoli in a Ziploc Zip n Steam cooking bag and microwave for 3 minutes for a full bag. You want them to still be bright green. You can also put in the pan that is cooking the pasta. Just remove with a slotted spoon. Rinse with very cold water to stop cooking, drain and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli and garlic cream sauce until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add more Parmesan cheese if you think it needs it. Plate in dishes. Put sliced, browned chicken slices on top.
Ziti, Broccoli and Chicken in Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
2-3 cups broccoli florets
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup flour
12 oz. ziti
2 Tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. white wine
1–1/2 c. heavy cream, slightly warmed
3/4 c. jarred grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Heat 8 c. water to boiling in large pot. Blanch broccoli in boiling water until just tender and bright green. Take out of water with a slotted spoon and put into a colander and rinse under very cold water to stop cooking process. Set aside.
Bring water in pan back to a boil and cook ziti for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Over medium high heat, add butter or olive oil to skillet. Cut chicken breast in half horizontally, season with salt and pepper and shake in a bag with a little flour. Cook in skillet until browned and fully cooked. Set aside. When cooled slightly, cut into slices.
Heat butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook only until fragrant (about a minute or two). Do not brown (if it does get brown, throw out and start again. Burnt garlic will ruin any recipe). Add the wine, and reduce for 1 minute or so until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Warm cream in microwave slightly and add cream (if you add very cold cream you run the risk of it curdling when adding to the hot mixture). Add cheese. Increase the heat to moderately high and bring to the boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes, until the cream thickens and is reduced by a third.
Put the ziti and broccoli in a large shallow pasta serving bowl. Add the sauce and mix together. Season with salt & pepper. Add more cheese if necessary.
Plate onto plates and place chicken slices on top.
Notes
I also precook the broccoli in Ziploc Zip n Steam bags in the microwave.
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