One thing I will admit is that I love to cook but sometimes want to get out of the kitchen as quickly as possibly. With the help of Da Vinci Italian Market down the road from my house (located at 271 Calabash Road NW) I can be in and out of the kitchen lickety-split! My love for a cream sauce knows no bounds so last night while waiting for the snow to come in, I came up with a quick meal anyone would love. Filled moneybag like pouches called their Pear and Gorgonzola Sachetti paired with some marinated chicken and broccoli made the entire family happy and full in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of chicken breast diced
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- 1 tsp of dried rosemary
- 5 cloves of garlic chopped fine
- 1/4 of a medium sweet onion chopped fine
- Splash of white wine (I use pinot grigio since the pasta is sweet)
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup finely grated Romano cheese
- 2 table spoons pasta water
- 1/2 head of broccoli florets
- 1 bag of Pear and Gorgonzola Pasta from Da Vinci Italian Market (Calabash, NC location)
Directions
In a bowl, combine dried thyme, dried rosemary, diced chicken breast with olive oil, salt and pepper. Let marinade in the refrigerator for 15- 30 minutes. Add your chicken to a pan with EVOO and cook chicken until internal temp reaches 165 degrees (While this is cooking, put a pot of boiling water on and cook your Pear pasta for 10-12 minutes. To save time and dishes, I set a small strainer on top of the pasta water and cook my florets at the 9 minute mark to tenderize but keep the color of my broccoli) Remove chicken from the pan and set aside when cooked thoroughly. Deglaze the pan with a splash of pinot grigio and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add your finely diced onion to the pan and cook until translucent. Then add your garlic and only cook for 30 seconds at the most (any longer and garlic tastes burnt!) I then add about a 1/4 cup of whipping cream and sauté to combine the flavors. At this point I add the little bit of sauce in the pan to a Ninja Blender and blend it until smooth. You can then add the blended onions, garlic and heavy cream BACK into the same pan. Once it starts to get a little bubbly, I add the remainder 3/4 of whipping cream into the pan. Whisk the sauce until it thickens and then turn down your heat to low. Take 2 tbsps. of pasta water, add to the sauce and then TURN THE HEAT OFF. Add your finely grated parmesan and Romano and whisk until a smooth sauce. By now your pasta is cooked and drained along with your broccoli! You can now add your cooked chicken, pasta, broccoli and VOILA. You have yourself a meal in under an hour! I promise its not as hard as it sounds and the taste of everything combined will HIT okay!
