Apron Strings to Diamond Rings: Sicilian Chicken and Pasta

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Sicilian Chicken and Pasta

Today while talking to a friend about her 'typical' dinners, she mentioned how she eats a lot of simple pasta dishes. I know how easy it is to do that, but I have a great recipe to amp up that pasta dish! It only calls for a few more ingredients and no more time (maybe 1 minute). It can be done in two pots (or one if you have left over pasta) and not only is it delicious the first day, but it's great reheated for lunch, or dinner days later! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

1-2 Chicken Breast
1/4 c flour
salt and pepper
1/2 c white wine
1/2 T butter
a swirl of EVOO, about 1 T (in the pan)
1 can of petite cut tomatoes undrained
1/2 cup of pasta (I suggest making more though, so you can have left overs)
Green Sicilian Olives halved without pits (I used the small green olives, and they worked well!)
Dried Oregano

Start boiling water in a pot, for the pasta. Skip this step if you have leftover pasta you are using. Take the chicken, either in packaging (if you get the prepackaged singles) or in a plastic bag, and pound them until they're about 1/2 inch thick, or at least thinner.* Heat a frying pan on Medium heat, add the butter and EVOO. Cover the chicken in flour by either shaking it in a bag or turning it in flour on a plate/shallow bowl. (Did that make sense?). The butter and EVOO should have melted, twirl the pan so it covers the entire bottom, and add the chicken. It should take about 4-5 minutes per side to cook.

While the chicken cooks, add the pasta when the water boils and continue to cook as you would. Turn the chicken, allow it too cook through. You might need to cut into the center to test it for doneness. It's okay if it's still a bit pink because it will continue to cook throughout the rest of the recipe. Once the chicken is done, add the wine. Scrape the pan to get the tasty bits off the bottom. Allow it to come to a boil and heavily simmer for about 1 minute.** Then add the can of tomatoes, handful of olives and a pinch of salt, pepper and oregano (to taste). Again, simmer for another 2-5 minutes, allowing the liquid of the tomatoes to cook out a bit. When you are satisfied with the texture, taste and look, plate the pasta, top with 1/2 piece of chicken, and a gracious scoop of tomatoes and olives. Happy Eating and Enjoy!

* So, I don't own a meat tenderizer and use a hammer or a ladle (the rounded part) instead. Careful if you use a hammer. Sometimes it's too strong and will just break right through the chicken, and the plastic. I used a ladle for this recipe and it worked well. Sounds crazy, but it works!

** When it simmers, you want the liquid to reduce about 1/3-1/2 but not completely cook out.

*©ApronStringstoDiamondRings All Rights Reserved

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How I Started Cooking

I am no professional chef, nor have I even taken professional cooking or baking classes. I create my dishes from the heart, reading and researching a combination of recipes, putting that knowledge to use and either developing my own recipe or amending one I have read. My love for working in the kitchen began when I was very little, watching my mom bake and cook. In high school I received the opportunity to take two semesters of cooking classes with a wonderful teacher. She is the woman who taught me how to make chicken broth from scratch, properly measure flour and most importantly, read every recipe at least once through before beginning. This is not to say that my mother didn't have a substantial role in my quest to conquer the kitchen. My mother is the one who let me go wild in the kitchen, throwing random ingredients from the pantry into a bowl just to call it 'peanut butter cookies' because they contained peanut butter. That was when I learned that if it contains flour, it most likely has to be baked. Thanks Mom!