Post by josephk on Jul 17, 2016 22:05:08 GMT
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about two breast halves)
1 tbs Olive Oil
6 slices thickcut hardwood smoked bacon (I use Wright's bacon if you can get your hands on it)
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan romano
1 tbs oregano (or to taste)
1 tbs basil (or to taste)
pinch of thyme
5 oz spinach (fresh is best - do not substitute)
2 cloves fresh garlic minced (by hand - not already prepackaged or jarred or squirted out of a press)
Box of pasta - your choice. I used rigatonni in tonight's Beme.
Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box to al dente. Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water!! You'll need this later on. I do typically rinse my pasta off in cold water to keep it from sticking.
At the same time you're starting to boil your water, preheat your oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Lay the six slices of bacon on the pan. When the oven is preheated, cook those suckers for 18-20 minutes. Your house will smell amazing about halfway through. Keep an I on the bacon - burning bacon is a sin. We want crispy bacon. When it is the perfect color, take your bacon out of the oven. Place the bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Put more paper towels on top. This will help the bacon firm up. Once nice and crispy and cooled off, crumble by hand or chop up with a knife. Save 2 tbs of bacon grease if you so choose for the sauce later.
Cook the chicken in a fry pan by pouring in your 1 tbs oil on medium-high heat. Once your pan is preheated, season your chicken with salt & pepper and then cook the chicken on both side for about 4-5 minutes per side. Once done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Once cool enough to touch, cut into bite sized pieces. Note: chicken is done when juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Make sure chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Pour the tomatoes (with juices) into the hot pan you just cooked your chicken in, turning your flame down to medium. Toss in your garlic as well. Once it starts boiling, scrape up that yummy chicken fond from the bottom of your pan. Once the brown fond is mixed into the tomatoes, sprinkle in the oregano, basil and thyme. My quantities above are more eyeballed. You can always add more later if desired. Add in the spinach. Toss with the tomatoes and garlic until it starts to wilt slightly. Pour in cream, bacon grease, and grated parm+romano, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir thoroughly and let simmer on medium for about 5 minutes until it starts thickening slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the pasta into the sauce and toss thoroughly. Most liquids will get sucked up by the pasta - and left over will get even thicker. Throw in the chicken and bacon (save some of the bacon to top the final dish off when you plate it if you wish) and toss thoroughly.
Plate the pasta on warm plates. Add extra shaved/shredded/grated parm and top with a little bit of the crispy bacon. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6
Let me know if you have questions!
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about two breast halves)
1 tbs Olive Oil
6 slices thickcut hardwood smoked bacon (I use Wright's bacon if you can get your hands on it)
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan romano
1 tbs oregano (or to taste)
1 tbs basil (or to taste)
pinch of thyme
5 oz spinach (fresh is best - do not substitute)
2 cloves fresh garlic minced (by hand - not already prepackaged or jarred or squirted out of a press)
Box of pasta - your choice. I used rigatonni in tonight's Beme.
Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box to al dente. Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water!! You'll need this later on. I do typically rinse my pasta off in cold water to keep it from sticking.
At the same time you're starting to boil your water, preheat your oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Lay the six slices of bacon on the pan. When the oven is preheated, cook those suckers for 18-20 minutes. Your house will smell amazing about halfway through. Keep an I on the bacon - burning bacon is a sin. We want crispy bacon. When it is the perfect color, take your bacon out of the oven. Place the bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Put more paper towels on top. This will help the bacon firm up. Once nice and crispy and cooled off, crumble by hand or chop up with a knife. Save 2 tbs of bacon grease if you so choose for the sauce later.
Cook the chicken in a fry pan by pouring in your 1 tbs oil on medium-high heat. Once your pan is preheated, season your chicken with salt & pepper and then cook the chicken on both side for about 4-5 minutes per side. Once done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Once cool enough to touch, cut into bite sized pieces. Note: chicken is done when juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Make sure chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Pour the tomatoes (with juices) into the hot pan you just cooked your chicken in, turning your flame down to medium. Toss in your garlic as well. Once it starts boiling, scrape up that yummy chicken fond from the bottom of your pan. Once the brown fond is mixed into the tomatoes, sprinkle in the oregano, basil and thyme. My quantities above are more eyeballed. You can always add more later if desired. Add in the spinach. Toss with the tomatoes and garlic until it starts to wilt slightly. Pour in cream, bacon grease, and grated parm+romano, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir thoroughly and let simmer on medium for about 5 minutes until it starts thickening slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the pasta into the sauce and toss thoroughly. Most liquids will get sucked up by the pasta - and left over will get even thicker. Throw in the chicken and bacon (save some of the bacon to top the final dish off when you plate it if you wish) and toss thoroughly.
Plate the pasta on warm plates. Add extra shaved/shredded/grated parm and top with a little bit of the crispy bacon. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6
Let me know if you have questions!
