Creamy Chicken Pasta (13 of 150)

Photo from What's In the Pan?

Who doesn't like chicken, white wine, parmesan, cream sauce and spaghetti? I mean, I know it's carb load central, but man or man do I love that combination of ingredients. 

I changed nothing in this recipe. I did, however, forget to put the tomatoes in. Ironically, I forgot to buy fresh tomatoes so I took out a frozen 1/2 c of canned diced tomatoes I had stuck in the freezer. I rushed to thaw them because I forgot to do it earlier. Then, I forgot to put them in the dish! Oy vei!

A note about adding parmesan cheese to a dish: Don't buy pre-shredded parmesan. That usually has a coating that stops it from sticking together and thus doesn't melt well enough. Get yourself a small block of parmesan and grate it yourself. You won't be disappointed. I promise. 

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Recipe from What's in the Pan?

Serves 4

For cooking chicken:

• 4 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts, (or 2 thick ones, halved horizontally and paper towel dried)
• ½ c flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 T olive oil

Pasta:

• 12 oz of spaghetti

White Wine Parmesan Sauce:

• 4 T butter
• 1 small yellow onion (or use ½ onion), chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 T flour
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1 c white wine
• ½ c Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• ½ tsp salt, more to taste
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Make sure to cut chicken breasts horizontally to make them thin. Or, use thin chicken breasts to begin with. Paper towel dry the chicken.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Stir well to blend. Using a fork or tongs, coat the chicken breasts in the flour mixture by pressing into the mixture with tongs and then flipping the chicken over to coat the other side. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place flour coated chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, turning once between cooking, about 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

SAUCE: 

Add butter, diced yellow onion and minced garlic cloves to pan. Cook on medium high until onions and garlic are translucent, about 2 minutes. Next add chopped scallions and tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon flour to pan and whisk to combine.

Now add heavy cream, wine, Italian Seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring mixture to a simmering point and then add ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Use a whisk or a wooden spoon and mix it in until you have a smooth mixture.

Cook pasta according to your package instructions in salty water.  Take about 1/4 c of the pasta water ot in case you need to add it to loosen the sauce. Drain, but do not rinse.

Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and stir to combine on low heat for 2-4 minutes. Taste and add salt, if needed. Return chicken to skillet on top of the pasta and allow it to warm up for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve chicken either on top or next to pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.