Rigatoni Fiorentina with Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (sliced into 4 even-sized cutlets)
• salt and pepper (to taste, for seasoning chicken and sauce)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
• 1 tbsp butter (for frying)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 0.25 cup white wine (for deglazing)
• 0.5 cup chicken stock
• 0.5 cup heavy cream
• 0.25 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 8 oz rigatoni (dried weight, cooked according to package instructions)
• 2 cups fresh spinach (packed)

Steps

1. 1

   Slice two chicken breasts horizontally to create four even-sized cutlets. Season both sides of the cutlets generously with salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Heat a little bit of oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.

3. 3

   Add the chicken cutlets to the pan and fry on both sides until they are lightly charred and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to rest, making sure to save any juices that collect.

4. 4

   In the same pan with the leftover fat, add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.

5. 5

   Deglaze the pan by pouring in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

6. 6

   Stir in the chicken stock and heavy cream to create the base of the sauce.

7. 7

   Add the grated parmesan cheese and additional seasoning to taste. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce has thickened slightly.

8. 8

   Pour the resting juices from the chicken back into the sauce for extra flavor.

9. 9

   Add the cooked rigatoni and fresh spinach to the pan. Toss everything together until the pasta is well coated and the spinach has wilted.

10. 10

    Slice the cooked chicken cutlets and place them on top of the pasta to serve.

Notes

The author mentions this is a 'Rigatoni Fiorentina'. If you don't have white wine, you can substitute with a little extra chicken stock and a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• chicken
• pasta
• creamy
• dinner
• Italian
• rigatoni