Olive Garden - But Cheaper

I waited tables at Olive Garden for nearly 2 years. And there are just some dishes that I crave. I mean, lunch portion + discount... ate a frequent amount of Olive Garden! Honestly, almost more than any other restaurant. What can I say, I like carbs (and fully believe in the OLD SKOOL food pyramid - carbs give you energy!). 

So I dove in to my recently acquired Olive Garden recipes. Tonight I made one of my favorites. Garlic Herb Chicken con Broccoli. I meshed it with one other, to adapt it a bit. Turned out great. Almost like the original, and a hell of a lot cheaper. Can't beat that!

Garlic Herb Chicken con Broccoli - Olive Garden Copy Cat


Ingredients
3 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
2 tsp olive oil
4 oz. dry orecchiette pasta (I got mine at Sprout's - I'm sure Trader Joe's or Whole Foods would carry it as well)
1 C. heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp butter
3 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp cornstarch
3-5 C. broccoli florets
black pepper to taste
1/2 c Romano cheese
1/2 c dry white wine
Herb Mixture
2 tsp Dried basil, parsley, and rosemary
1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
Black pepper to taste 

Instructions

Combine ingredients from spice mixture. Rub onto the chicken breasts. Cook chicken in the olive oil till done and browned, set aside. 
Cook orecchiette in a large pot of boiling salted water until "almost" done. Drain, and return pasta to pot. 
Stir butter or margarine, and garlic into a sauté pan. Cook till garlic caramelizes, then add the cream, wine and the cornstarch on medium heat till it thickens to a sauce, and add to the pasta. 
Stir chicken, Romano and broccoli into the pasta. Simmer until pasta are done, and remove from heat. Sprinkle with Romano cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste.