This Penne with Chicken, Mushrooms and Capers delivers a lot of flavor with just a few simple ingredients.
I have been making this for years. True to Italian style the flavour boost comes from fresh herbs and a few basic ingredients. So you will want to use fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, good quality parmesan, best chicken broth etc.
For the mushrooms if you can find a saute blend that would be good. Try to use a mixture of cremini and portabello and add whatever other variation you can access. Having said that, I have made this many times with just cremini slices and it is still delicious.
Timing here is important so have your ingredients out and ready to go. You will cook the chicken and the sauce while the pasta water is heating and the pasta is cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne
- 7 Tbsps olive oil divided 2 + 2 + 3
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced then halve the slices
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsps fresh rosemary minced
- 24 oz sliced mushrooms mix of cremini, portabello, white etc
- 1 ½ lbs chicken breast meat in 1" cubes
- 4 Tbsps corn starch
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 Tbsps capers + more for garnish
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh grated parmesan
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients for the dish. You will be cooking the chicken and other additions while the pasta cooks.
- Cook pasta according to manufacturer's instructions. Drain but do not rinse.
- Saute the onion in 2 tablespoon of oil about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add 2 more Tbsps of oil and the garlic and rosemary. Saute 30 seconds and transfer the garlic and rosemary to the bowl with the onions.
- Add the mushrooms and saute about 15 minutes and transfer to the bowl.
- Shake the chicken cubes in a sealed bag with the cornstarch and salt and pepper to coat.
- Heat the remaining 3 Tbsps oil in the skillet. Saute the chicken over medium high heat about 5 minutes till the outsides are brown. Add the broth, wine and capers. Simmer another 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Add the mushrooms and other ingredients from the bowl back to the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon.
- Toss the chicken mixture with the pasta in a large serving bowl. Garnish with parsley and parmesan and serve warm.
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