Chicken Mozzarella Pasta
You really will love this pasta, as you get a bunch of deliciousness without a whole lot of effort.
Dovetailing Tips: Use the 2 chicken breast that you cooked on day 2 for todays pasta recipe.
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients:
| 1 pound | penne or rigatoni |
| 2 tablespoons | olive oils, plus more for drizzling |
| 2 | whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces |
| salt and pepper | |
| 1 | whole large onion, finely diced |
| 2 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 jar | (25 ounce) good quality marinara sauce |
| 1/2 teaspoon | crushed red pepper flakes (more to taste) |
| 1/2 cup | water |
| 2 tablespoons | minced fresh parsley |
| 8 ounces | , weight fresh mozzarella, cut into medium cubes |
| 1/4 cup | parmesan shavings |
| extra parmesan, for serving | |
| 12 | whole basil leaves (chiffonade) |
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to cook without stirring for 2 minutes, or until golden. Stir chicken around to brown on all sides. Remove to a plate. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions and garlic and stir immediately to start cooking. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the marinara sauce, red pepper flakes, and the water. Stir until the onions and garlic are mixed in, then add the chicken back into the pan. Add the parsley, stir to combine, then allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 7-8 minutes. Make sure the sauce is bubbly and very hot, then gently stir in the mozzarella. Let it sit, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes, until you can see that the mozzarella is very soft. Drain the pasta and pour it onto a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Immediately sprinkle on 1/4 cup Parmesan shavings (or grated Parmesan.) Pour on the sauce, sprinkle with extra Parmesan and the chiffonade of Basil, and serve immediately! * NOTE: The mozzarella should be very soft but should still be in visible chunks rather than distributed throughout the sauce. It's better for the chunks to be on the firm side than the falling-apart side! You can always heat it a little more to get the cheese to the consistency you want.
Source: thepioneerwoman.com
