chicken broccoli pasta bake

Still on my fridge-cleaning bender, I'm making a chicken-broccoli-pasta bake modeled after this.

And broccoli stem hummus or pesto or something such.

chicken broccoli pasta bake

Ingredients

• 10-14oz chicken tenderloin (raw), breast or thigh, cut into 1/2" pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme (or other herbs and/or spices of choice)
• 8 oz spiral pasta, uncooked (See Note 1 for other shapes)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock , preferably warmed
• 2 cups milk, preferably warmed
• 1 large garlic clove , minced
• 1 - 2 tbsp butter (optional)
• 1 large broccoli or 2 medium broccoli or cauliflower , broken into small to medium florets
• 1 - 1.5 cups shredded cheese, any melting type
• 1/4 cup flour  

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection (or 375).
• Sprinkle chicken with salt (be generous), pepper and thyme, toss to coat.
• Spread pasta in a baking dish. Sprinkle over flour.
• Pour over milk and broth, add garlic and butter. Stir.
• Spread chicken over the top, then broccoli.
• Cover with foil, bake for 15 minutes (or 20 minutes if milk & broth were cold).
• Remove foil, STIR WELL. Add most of the cheese, then STIR WELL again. Top with remaining cheese.
• Return to oven. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until top is golden and sauce is thickened (See note 4 for troubleshooting).
• Stand for a few minutes then serve immediately!