Ever-so-slightly Creamy Chicken Rigatoni
Have you ever had the privilege of having the Rigatoni D at Maggianos? Well, it's amazing. But it is also very heavy. And the portion size is for a dinosaur. Ha. But really, it is so tasty and I wanted to try and recreate it making it a little less rich. I am proud to say - I have achieved it! For those days you want something rich and comforting but also don't want to end up on the couch feeling useless and gross. Winner winner chicken dinner!
Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lb chicken thigh or breast, sliced into strips
1/2 cup marsala wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp basil, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 cup or more of parmesan
salt and pepper
1 lb rigatoni pasta (I used Trader Joes Organic Brown Rice Rigatoni)
Directions:
In a large, rimmed pan (I used my large frying pan), heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté for a minute or two. Add in the balsamic vinegar and minced garlic. Let that soften and start to caramelize - about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium high, move the onions to the side of pan and drizzle a little more olive oil to pan and place the sliced chicken onto the pan. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper. Cook the chicken, not moving it too much so that it gets a nice little caramel color/crust.
Once the chicken is cooked and has a nice color, add in the marsala wine. Let it boil and reduce down. Once it reduces, add in the 2 cups of chicken broth. Allow the broth to reduce to about half the amount.
Next, add in the cup of heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer until it thickens up a bit - about 2 minutes.
In the meantime, cook your pasta according to your package. Drain and toss the pasta with 2 tbsp of butter and 1/4-1/2 cup of grated parmesan.
Finally, add the buttered pasta to the pan of creaminess, along with the basil and parsley. Add more parmesan if you like. Toss all together and voila!
p.s. I served the pasta with some sautéed chard and it was delish.
