Chicken Penne With Asparagus And Peas

CHICKEN PENNE W/ ASPARAGUS AND PEAS

If you’re a workaholic/ or just simply a busy person, this Chicken Penne with Asparagus & Peas is a quick and easy dinner option. If you have a few defrosted chicken breasts and a few pantry staples on hand, you’ll be ready in 20 minutes–or 15 if you’re feeling ambitious. I’m willing to bet you are.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz. of penne pasta
• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 bunch of young asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen peas
• 1/3 cup of dry white wine
• 2/3 cup of cream
• ½ cup of chopped basil
• 2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper
• butter or olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken before cooking it. Sear the chicken on both sides in a skillet with a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil heated to medium-high heat. Set aside the chicken slices, which you’ve been slicing into long, thin strips.
2. Heat salted water in a large pot and cook the pasta according to package directions in the water. Towards the end of cooking, add the peas (they should be bright green!) to the boiling water. In case you need to loosen the sauce, keep a bit of the pasta water in the fridge.
3. A few extra tablespoons of oil or butter can be added while the pasta is cooking so that you can sautee some fresh asparagus with garlic. Then add the wine and continue to cook for another minute. Allow one more minute for the process to wind down. Turn off the heater.
4. The milk or half and half should be whisked with the egg and a little extra salt and pepper in a small bowl. You should have a medium-hot pan, but not so hot that the eggs will be scrambled. Add the hot pasta, peas, half of the Parmesan, and half of the basil to the pan with the creamy egg mixture. The egg will give the pasta a silky texture, and the heat from the pasta will cook it all the way through. To thin out the sauce, use the pasta water you saved. Add the chicken and mix well. Parmesan and basil can be added to the dish if desired.