Bring On The Pasta!

I love pasta! Really, I enjoy it in all its different forms from deliciously stuffed ravioli to incredibly thin cappellini, the stuff is just YUMMY! And when you think of all the ways you can dress it up, well let's face it, the possibilities become endless. This particular pasta dish combines some of my favorite ingredients like woody mushrooms, parmigiano reggiano, and chicken. The pasta of choice is papparadelle; thick strips of lucious pasta are super hearty and really hold on to this light sauce. If you can't find papparadelle, wide pasta like tagliatelle or even fettucini will do. Together, all of these ingredients make a dish that is delicious, satisfying, and easy to make!


Come on, you know you want some for dinner tonight. Don't forget a piece of crusty baguette to sop up the sauce on the bottom of your plate.

Papparadelle with Chicken and Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

• 1 Bone-in Chicken Breast, split (2 large pieces)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tpsp canola oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 lb. of your favorite mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot chopped
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• I package of papparadelle or your favorite wide pasta
• 1/4 cup Parmagiano Reggiano
• 3 tpsp chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Note: You will need a large frying pan with a lid to help finish cooking the chicken.

Recipe:

1. Place your pan over high heat and add canola oil. In a shallow dish, add the flour and season with salt and pepper: dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, shaking off any excess, and add to hot pan to brown on all sides.
2. Once the chicken has browned, drain on papertowel. Drain the grease out of the pan and return to the heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot and cook until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and the garlic and cook until the mushrooms are tender, approxmately 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the chicken stock to the pan and return the chicken to the pan; reduce the heat to medium and cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Once the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pan and allow to cool. Continue simmering the mushroom sauce until it has reduced by half of its original amount. Shred the chicken and return to the pan.
4. Cook the pasta to aldente, reserving approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water to thin out the sauce if necessary. Add the pasta to the pan with the mushroom sauce and chicken, add the parmigiano reggiano and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in parsley.
5. Enjoy with a piece of crusty baguette!