Creamy Mushroom Chicken Primavera

Course: main meals

PointsPlus™ Value:    6
Servings:  2

Preparation Time:  15 min
Cooking Time:  15 min
Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small raw onion, finely chopped  
• 1/4 cup (s) sweet red pepper(s), diced  
• 1/2 small carrots, julienne  
• 6 oz. broccoli Florets (plain)  
• 1 lb mushroom caps, sliced and diced
• 4 oz cooked whole wheat pasta
• 1/4 cup(s) pasta water  
• 1-1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth  
• 3 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced (medium)  
• 1/2 cooked chicken breast, 1/4 inch cubes  
• 1/8 cup(s) water chestnuts  
• 4 tbsp condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 scallions finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tsp Argon Corn Starch  
• 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
• 2 tsp reduced grated parmesan cheese
• parsley

Preparations:

Boil pasta, drain and reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. Cool and put aside for later.  Fill the sauce pan again with water and bring to a slow boil. Keep it on standby while you prepare the sauce.

In a nonstick skillet start cooking mushrooms until the mushrooms release water and shrink. Once you see the mushrooms have darkened and shrunk, it’s important to add the garlic. After about 1 minute or so, add ¼ cup of the chicken stock to the pan to stop the garlic from burning.  Toss in the onions and carrots, cook for 3 minutes. Throw the broccoli, water-chestnuts into the pool next. After sautéing for about 2-3 minutes add red peppers.  Mix in the rest of the chicken broth, skim milk and condensed soup to the pan and stir to work out any lumps. Toss in the cooked chicken breast, reduce to thicken.

Turn up the water on the pot you have standing by.  Mix corn starch and pasta water together in a small cup. Turn up the heat to medium, adding half of the mixture at a time to adjust the thickness. Continue at this temperature for a few minutes to cook out the starch flavor.

Portion out equal amounts of pasta per person.  Drop the serving of pasta back into the boiling water you have on standby. Strain out the portion and plate. Repeat this for the second plate. Let both pastas sit for a minute to evaporate the surface moisture. Then pour the sauce over the pasta on each plated serving.  Garnish with parmesan cheese, parsley and scallions.  There will be a high veggie to pasta ratio …is that a bad thing?