Let’s Make Mark Bittman’s Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Wine

Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Wine

Excerpted with permission from HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING FAST

Time: Faster (30 minutes or less)

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Use red wine and this dish is hearty for the fall or winter; use white and it becomes lighter for spring or summer. You won’t go wrong either way.

 Ingredients

• Salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 1 boneless, skinless breast (8 ounces)
• Pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds button, cremini, or shiitake mushrooms
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup red or white wine
• 1 pound any cut pasta
• Several sprigs fresh parsley
• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese (1 cup grated)

 

1. Bring a stockpot of water to a boil and salt it.

2. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet or large pot over medium-high heat.

• Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch chunks.

3. Add the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, undisturbed, until the pieces brown and release easily, a minute or 2. Then cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is no longer pink, 2 or 3 minutes.

• Trim and quarter the mushrooms. (If you’re using shiitakes, discard the stems.)

4. When the chicken is no longer pink, transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon.

5. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet, then the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until they soften, 5 to 10 minutes.

• Peel and mince 3 garlic cloves; add them to the mushrooms.

6. When the mushrooms are soft, return the chicken to the skillet, add 3/4 cup wine, and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Let the wine bubble away until it reduces by about half; then turn the heat as low as it will go.

7. When the water boils, add the pasta and stir occasionally. Start tasting after 5 minutes.

• Strip the parsley leaves from several sprigs and chop.
• Grate 1 cup Parmesan cheese.

8. When the pasta is tender but not mushy, drain it, reserving some cooking water. Add the pasta to the skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the parsley, Parmesan, and a splash of the cooking water if you want to make it saucier. Toss, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Variations

Pasta with Chicken, Leeks, and Wine

Substitute 2 leeks, sliced, for the mushrooms. Cook the leeks until they are soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Omit the garlic if you like and use white wine. Substitute 3 sprigs fresh thyme for the parsley. If you normally use a lot of wine in your recipes then you should consider getting custom wine cellars to have a place to store them all. You can also find different selection of wines at www.alcoholprofessor.com if you are interested in trying different flavor combinations. 

Pasta with Chicken, Eggplant, and Balsamic

Use 4 tablespoons olive oil and omit the butter. Substitute 1 medium eggplant, chopped, for the mushrooms. Cook the eggplant until it’s tender and browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Use 1/2 cup red wine and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar.

HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING FAST © 2014 by Double B Publishing, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.