Shrimp Piccata

I found a recipe for chicken piccata. I didn't have enough chicken, so I used shrimp instead. There were also lots of other ingredients that looked gross, so basically it inspired me to make this recipe. I don't know what "piccata" is, so this might not be it. Ha!

1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth (about 6 cups)
12 oz uncooked angel hair pasta
1 lemon
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1 cup steamed broccoli
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring broth to a boil. Add pasta; cook, uncovered, until pasta is tender (use package directions), stirring occasionally. Zest lemon to measure 1 tbsp. Juice the lemon. Add zest, juice and cream cheese to pot; stir until cream cheese is fully incorporated. Add shrimp and artichokes to pot. Cook, covered, 1–2 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. Remove pot from heat; stir in broccoli. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

*****

I'm not kidding, this was DELICIOUS! I only had 2 chicken tenderloins, or I would have used cubed chicken instead of shrimp. You cut the chicken into cubes, rub some spices on them, and then fry them til they're cooked through. It also says to saute an onion. Yuck.

Since I had the 2 tenderloins, and only 2 people in my house could eat it, I breaded both chicken breasts (stir 1 egg, dip your chicken in it, then coat with bread crumbs), and baked at 350 for 15-20 minutes. (Tenderloins are smaller than whole breasts, so they don't need as long to cook.) Also, I put parchment paper down in my pan instead of greasing it. The chicken came right off, and my pan was still clean. BONUS!

Since my steam basket fits in the top of my pot, I was able to steam the broccoli while the noodles were cooking. I'd recommend using a little more broth, or just adding some water so you don't have to open another can. There wasn't enough liquid, so it took a lot of time for the cream cheese to incorporate, and by then the remaining broth had soaked into the noodles. It ended up a little dry, but very flavorful. I kept adding water, trying to even things out, and it kept soaking into the noodles before it could do any good.

Total cook time was 30 minutes, but that's because I overcooked my chicken. If I had been paying closer attention, the whole thing would have taken 20.