Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (355 F).

In a large saucepan of boiling water, add a generous quantitiy of sea salt to season well.Add your pasta and cook it until it is very al dente. – See Note 6One minute before you remove the pasta, add the broccoli florets.Drain the broccoli and pasta in a colander and set aside.

In the same saucepan that you cooked the pasta, on medium heat, melt the butter.Add the garlic and spring onions and cook for 2 minutes, being careful to not let the garlic burn.

Add in the flour and stir well with a whisk and cook for 1 minute.

Add half the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps forming. Add the remaining milk and increase the heat to medium high.

As the sauce starts to thicken, add in the parmesan cheese and thyme and whisk to combine.Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.Stir until the sauce resembles pouring cream consistency (takes about 5-7 minutes after increasing the heat).

Add the pasta, broccoli and chicken to the sauce. Check that the dish is well seasoned.

Grease a 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 inches) baking/casserole dish and add the pasta mixture to the dish.

In a small frying pan, melt the remaining butter and once melted, mix through the panko breadcrumbs. Top the pasta with the breadcrumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy on top.Remove from the oven and set the Pasta Bake aside for about 5 minutes. This will give it time to firm up a little and help it to hold its shape when serving.Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if you wish.