Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1" cubes
1 carrot, sliced diagonally into 1/4" pieces
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. angel hair pasta
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cherry tomatoes

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. oil.  Add chicken, cook until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken from skillet and drain on paper towels.  Heat remaining oil and add carrots.  Cook 4 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on box.  Add broccoli and garlic to carrots.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Add broth, basil and cheese to skillet.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes; add tomatoes and chicken and simmer for 2 minutes more.  Drain pasta; top with chicken/vegetable mixture.  Add salt and pepper as desired.  Serves 4.

Lillian:  Several years ago, I had this at a restaurant and loved it.  I decided to make it at home but added the tomatoes, carrots and basil.  That really perked it up and I have made it this way ever since.  If time is short, cook the chicken in the morning, refrigerate it and add it to the skillet when you are preparing this dish for dinner.  You can also have the vegetables all cleaned and cut, put into a plastic bag and refrigerate them along with the chicken.  This makes cooking dinner even easier after a day at work.

Martha:  Sis, when I made this dish I could understand why you liked it so much.  It is delicious.  One thing I do to save time is to boil several chicken breasts and freeze them until needed.  I place 1 cooked chicken breast in each pint size bag and just pull out what I need.  I did this for this dish too which allowed me to use only 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and just added the thawed chicken when requested within the recipe.  I also strain the broth and freeze it in 1 cup containers, thawing it out as needed.  For the working/busy cook, this can all be done on a weekend day while you're piddling around the house.  It sure saves cooking time during the week.

Lillian: I, also, cook several pieces of chicken at a time and freeze what I don't need. I always save broth and freeze it for later use. It not only saves time, it saves energy by not having to cook small amounts of any meat at a time.

Tips:  Raw chicken and poultry can carry the salmonella bacteria, which is responsible for more cases of food poisoning than any other pathogen. Fortunately it's easy to avoid getting sick from chicken and poultry, as long as you follow safe food handling practices. Packages of chicken should be wrapped in plastic bags to prevent leakage onto other items in your grocery cart.  Once you're home, you should immediately place your chicken in a refrigerator that maintains a temperature of 40 degrees or colder, and use it within 2 days. Otherwise, it should be frozen at 0°F.