I have to say that after reading the reviews of this dish I was really disappointed! It was pretty bland by my stands and I really thought it lacked any good flavor. My husband agreed. Some mistakes I think I made after reading the other reviews: I followed the recipe to the "T". I boiled the chicken - I think I should have cooked it in olive oil and sauteed it a bit more. I boiled the veggies in the chicken broth - BIG MISTAKE - they were mushy and lacked all flavor. I think that those should also be more sauteed in some olive oil or very lightly steamed. Cut the chicken broth out it adds sodium and really doesn't help with the flavor. The cream cheese mixture was not nearly as thick as I had hoped - I was thinking alfredo sauce and ended up with something more runny than that. You could almost make this with some half and half and onions on your own. Overall I thought the dish was way too high in fat to be the "treat" I had hoped it would be. Definetly spice it up. Good luck!
YUM! However, thanks to the advice of previous reviewers, I altered the original a bit by doing the following: Seasoned chicken breasts in cajun seasoning then sauteed in olive oil and 1 Tbs. minced garlic and 1/2 onion chopped. Then cubed the meat rather than pulling. For the sauce I added the other half of the chopped onion to the broth and broccoli. I also only used one container of the cream cheese as it seemed rich enough at taste after the first, then added 1 cup heavy cream and 2 Tbs. flour as thickener in place. Added cajun seasoning (tsp?) and the tasty browned onion-garlic goodness from the chicken pan to finish off the sauce. Served over penne.
Super easy, extremely delicious, and seemingly flexible for variation. A keeper for sure! THANKS for posting!
I made this for my family (husband & 2 boys 7 & 3)last night. They loved it. I had to change a few things due to what I had available in my pantry. First I used Penne pasta which was great. I find that sauce sticks to penne just as good as bowtie and my kids love the little "tubes". Also I used 2 cups of frozen broccoli instead of the fresh this turned out fine as well. I personally loved the red bell pepper but no one else here does so I used just enough for me. I also threw in some fresh sliced mushrooms. I would like to note that next time I will try the "light" version of the cream cheese just to take off some of the fat and calories. I'll let ya know if this is just as good. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks
I took this dish to a family reunion where it was well received. I couldn't keep from sneaking a bowtie or two (or three) while I was making it! Delicious. The cream sauce was simple to make as well as yummy. I love cream cheese and never would have thought of using it in this fashion. This is a very good basic recipe begging to be personalized by each individual. I altered the recipe and grilled the chicken instead of boiling and added more broccoli than called for. Great recipe. My mouth is watering just thinking aboout it.
This is one of my new favorite recipes. I do a lot of freezer cooking and this one works great. I cook up the sauce and freeze it and then when I'm ready to serve it I reheat and also cook the pasta. My husband and I love it!!
Awesome meal! I swapped the cream cheese for sour cream as I thought my family would like it better. I also changed the prep method a little, I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sauteed it with the garlic, then added in the veggies and stir-fried them for a few minutes before adding the broth. My sauce didn't thicken very well, but that was the only problem. The flavor was heavenly, this will be made again!
This was AWESOME! Even my 2 year old and 4 year old cleaned their plate! A definite family favorite that I will make over and over. I did a few things differently. To decrease the cooking time I cut the chicken into chunks and then cooked it in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray. I seasoned it well with seasoning salt garlic powder and onion powder. When it was done I just put it in a covered bowl and followed all the rest of the steps. I added the chicken back in the skillet once the cream cheese was smooth and let it simmer a few minutes to thicken it up a little.
Cream cheese shouldn't go on pasta. I was expecting something similar to alfredo sauce - but it is not even close. Not the recipe's fault - it just wasn't for me.
I think this is a wonderful recipe. Super yummy quick and easy.
