Creamy Baked Chicken and Broccoli

This is a recipe I saw on my friend Jacki's blog.  She cooks a lot of great things and seems to have similar tastes to what we like and this one just jumped out at me.  Bill likes broccoli so I am always looking for new ways to incorporate it and this sounded like a great recipe with some different flavors.  It turned out delicious and very easy.  I didn't have the same spices as Jacki but I used a Curry Vindaloo that tasted great.  I think this could taste great with a variety of spices so I may have to play around with it!

Creamy Baked Chicken and Broccoli
From: Jacki & John Ate This

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of flour
1 can of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp of Bangkok Blend spice (I actually used 1 Tbsp Curry Vindaloo, and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp of fresh black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
12 oz of pasta (I used penne)
3 cups broccoli

Directions:
1.  Cut chicken into pieces about one or two inches in size.  Grease 9x13 pan and place chicken in pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  In a large saucepan, melt 3 Tbsp butter and 3 Tbsp olive oil together over medium-low heat.  Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and saute for a couple minutes

3.  Add 1/4 cup of flour and whisk 2-3 minutes.  Slowly whisk in can of chicken broth, then 1.5 cups of half.  Turn heat up and bring to a simmer.  Simmer slowly for 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning,  2 Tbsp of Bangkok spice (or whatever yo use), salt and pepper.

5. Add can of diced tomatoes bring back to simmer for 3-4 more minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cilantro

6. Pour sauce over chicken in the casserole pan. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbly all over and chicken is cooked through.

7. While chicken and sauce is baking, boil a large pot of water, and cook pasta and broccoli together until pasta is al dente and broccoli is tender.

8. Serve chicken and sauce on top of broccoli and pasta