Pronunciation: con-KEEL-yay. That’s the new word I learned last weekend flipping though an Italian menu.

Shelter-in-place has been stressful. Working from home blurs the start and end of a work day. Many days, we work round the clock ‘zooming’ with co-workers in different time zones. Everyone in our household work from home, so figuring out what to put on the table three meals a day is an added stress on top of a round-the-clock work schedule.

I look forward to weekends and hunting for new spots opened for outdoor dining. This is the only outlet we have to relax, chill, and get a breath of fresh air. An added goal for me is to get some inspiration on what to cook for next week’s dinner.

I found my inspiration from Pranzi this week.

The Conchiglie from Pranzi was really tasty. I tried to recreate it immediately for this week’s dinner. I used the hazelnut pesto as the base for the sauce and added pan-fried chicken, brocolli, sundried tomatoes, and lots of mushrooms. Mmmm…, tastes really good! I doubled the recipe so that it can last us through the end of the week before I have to go in search of another inspiration next weekend.

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Ingredients

• 1 packages of Conchiglie (12 oz each)
• 1.5 lb thin-sliced chicken breast
• Breading for cooking chicken
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • Butter/Olive oil for frying
• 3 cups baby brocolli, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 lb mushrooms (I used a combo of shimeji and sliced shitake mushrooms)
• 1/3 cup Hazelnut Pesto, see Hanna’s Handmade Hazelnut Pesto Pasta for recipe
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

1. Prepare the pasta per package instructions. I prefer the pasta to be al dente, so reduce the boiling time. Drain and set aside.
2. Steam brocolli for 5 minutes until just tender. Set aside.
3. Mix dry ingredients for chicken breading in a large bowl.
4. Slice and pat dry chicken breast with paper towel.
5. Heat butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
6. Dip each slice of chicken in breading mix and pan fry about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
7. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large clean skillet over medium high heat.
8. Add minced garlic and stir fry for a minute until fragrant.
9. Add mushrooms and cook for a couple of minute until mushrooms starts to soften.
10. Add pesto, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil.
11. Stir in drained pasta and brocolli and stir until evenly coated with pesto sauce.
12. Divide into serving dishes. Top with sliced chicken, and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.
13. Serve hot.