Garlic Chicken Farfalle

I've been meaning to try this recipe for Garlic Chicken Farfalle all year, but haven't gotten around to it. Until recently, when a friend had us over for dinner and made it.

Oh. My. Word. It was amazing. But knowing that it had a pound of bacon and a full cup of heavy whipping cream, not to mention a whole stick of butter and no vegetables, well...I was on a mission to make this healthier. SO here's what I came up with, except I omitted the fact that I snuck in a whole cup of pureed broccoli into the sauce because I don't think anyone does that kind of stuff except me! I found a bag of broccoli in the freezer and ended up sticking that in, too, so it was CHOCK full o' broccoli.

GARLIC CHICKEN FARFALLE


3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s "Mesquite Marinade with Lime Juice"
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen broccoli or frozen peas
16 oz Farfalle (or Bowtie) whole wheat pasta
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and diced*
1/2 c. butter
1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk (next time I'll try fat free)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

*You can cook the bacon in the oven @ 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Time varies, so you just have to watch it.

In the morning, put the chicken and bottle of marinade in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.

About an hour before serving, pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred with two forks. Discard juices and return chicken to the crock pot. Stir in the broccoli (or peas) and continue cooking on low.

Boil the water for the pasta. Cook according to package instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan. Add garlic, evaporated milk, pepper and bacon. Whisk together over low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the cooked, drained pasta to the crock pot and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Pour the sauce and stir to combine. Keep the crock pot on low until the vegetables are warm and you're ready to serve the meal. This serves 6-8 good-sized portions. I suggest serving it with a salad so people don't go back for seconds...it's still not the healthiest meal ever!!!