Cheesy Chicken and Veggie Pasta

This recipe is SO good you guys. It is my favorite recipe right now. The hubby and I eat it almost every week. It has all of our favorite things: pasta, kale, chicken, and LOTS of cheese, three different kinds to be specific! I can’t take 100% credit for this recipe. I found it originally in one of my Pioneer Woman cookbooks, but of course I had to make some modifications because I can never leave anything alone💁‍♀️ So credit to my hero, Ree Drummond, for inventing the basis of this recipe. Anyway, it’s seriously delicious so let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized cubes
Butter for sautéing
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt & Pepper for seasoning
1 box (3 cups uncooked) Garden Rotini pasta ( *NOTE* I couldn’t find any when I photographed this recipe so I used penne. Please note that any small pasta will work but Garden Rotini is the best!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1 cup chicken broth or bouillon
2 stalks kale
2 roma tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Splash of lemon juice
Feta cheese for topping
Parmesan for topping

*Makes 4 servings*

Directions:

1. Set a pot of water to boil and let the pasta cook until al dente (can be boiled while you cook the rest of the meal so that the noodles are drained and still hot when it is time to add them in to the rest of the meal).

2. Heat about 2 tbsp of butter in a large pan.

3.Add the cubed chicken to the heated butter in the pan.

4. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. You can add more than 1/2 tsp if you like. I like the chicken to be really flavorful for this meal!

5. Cook the chicken until it is done, it will be white on the inside and at least 165°F. Then remove to a plate with a paper towel, leaving the pan on the heat.

6. Add the minced garlic to the pan and sauté for about a minute.

7. Add the cooking wine and the chicken broth to the pan and stir.

8. Let the liquid start to bubble and simmer until the liquid has reduced by at least half.

9. While the liquid is simmering, wash the kale and tomatoes. Remove the stems from the kale and cut the leaves into bite sized pieces. Small dice the tomatoes. Set aside the veggies.

10. When the liquid has reduced, add the splash of lemon juice.

11. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cooked pasta to the pan. Stir well to ensure the liquid is covering all the noodles.

12. Add the cooked chicken and stir to combine.

13. Remove the pan from the heat, and add in the chopped kale and tomatoes.

14. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top and then give it all one more good stir to make sure everything is mixed well and coated in the liquid and cheese.