We love pasta, don't we? We love to dress it up, dress it down, stuff it, bake it, and hell even fry it. Playing with pasta is one of the most rewarding foods to cook yielding high return in both flavor and fun. When I'm either making pasta (which isn't often) or cooking a traditional or brand new-to-me pasta dish, my child mind takes over and I imagine I'm a female version of The Swedish Chef famously of The Muppets smushing play dough between my fingers making a magical meal for all my real and fantasy friends by morphing the mass before me into whatever food desires are to be had that day.
The latest pasta dish on the L&S recipe roster was facilitated by Foodbuzz.com's Tastemakers Program. Hopefully you'll recall our former Foodbuzz Tastemaker tryouts from the old school L&S blog, Take-out Times 2 Sesame Chicken and Caribbean Club with Lime Butter. The current product for making taste are two new Bertolli Sauces. Spicy Rouge Chicken & Penne showcases the creamier of the two, the Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa described as, "a creamy Alfredo blend, with four cheeses and tomatoes." As soon as I opened my mystery package to reveal the Bertolli contents inside, I instantly knew the Four Cheese Rosa is the perfect jar of sauce for my Spicy Rouge Chicken & Penne. This is a dish I have made many, many times before but have yet to post the haute homemade recipe saving it as one of the hot debut posts on the new, improved, and more gorgeous Laptops and Stovetops (do you like?).
While eradicating bugs from the new site, loe and behold Bertolli's Four Cheese Rosa Sauce lands up on my doorstep. Taking fate's not-so-subtle hint, the Spicy Rouge Chicken and Penne Featuring Bertolli's Four Cheese Rosa Sauce version is the first part in a two-part series showing how to make Spicy Rouge Chicken and Penne two ways. Which, if I may point out, is why pasta is like your wardrobe. You can wear all the same clothes or cook with the same ingredients, but your daily composition of outfit makes your look and your final pasta taste totally brand new.
Spicy Rouge Chicken & Penne is mega-simple to make, and don't forget to substitute ingredients according to what's on hand at your cooking spot. I usually always make this dish because I know I don't need to make a trip to the store for a fabulous dinner. You know we be ballin' on a budget broke over here at L&S (shout out to Nappy Roots).
Recipe (serves 4-6)
- 1/2 lb mini penne
- 1/2 lb white meat chicken; Having 3 large tenderloins my weight was closer to 1/3 lb. Make what you have work for you!
- 1/3 lb dark meat chicken; I had two roasted thighs and 1 roasted drumstick leftover which worked just fine as pie.
- 6 garlic cloves sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
- 3/4 cup Italian cut green beans; green peppers are a great substitute. Just be sure to cook those earlier in the process then the beans.
- 4-6 chopped yellow chiles; seeds and veins removed; or whatever hotter peppers you have.
- 8-10 chopped hot, whole, sweet piquante peppers; for a lesser heat use roasted red peppers or fresh red bell peppers.
- 1 15oz. jar of Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Sauce
- 2-3 tblpn grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Sicilian white win3
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
1. Dry, and cut raw chicken into 1 1/2" pieces. Tear meat from roasted chicken pieces.
2. Salt and pepper raw white chicken slightly.
3. In a large skillet, heat 3 tblsp. of olive oil over medium heat.
4. Add all the chicken and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook 6-8 minutes. After the first few minutes, flip the white chicken pieces and scrape pan with a wooden spoon to break-up the cooked flavor bits.
5. Cook and drain pasta.
6. Remove chicken from pan and add 1-2 tblsp. of olive oil and heat 1-2 minutes.
7. Cook and drain pasta.
8. Add garlic and onions. Cook for 2 minutes.
9. Turn up the heat slightly and add wine. Let the alcohol simmer and cook-off, about4-5 minutes while occasionally scraping up the browned flavor bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
10. In a separate and smaller saucepan, bring the temperature of the Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Sauce slowly over low heat.
11. Add both peppers. Cook 3 minutes more. Add the beans. Cook for 2-4 more minutes.
12. Add chicken stock. Bring up to a bubble again and add the cooked chicken. Stir, bring to a bubble and the warmed Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Sauce.
13. Simmer and let reduce 8-10 minutes. Add grated cheese.
14. Turn the heat off and stir in the drained pasta. Leave on the burner 2-3 minutes more.
15. Serve immediately with chopped flat parsley. If you have it, which I didn't this round but trust me its a fresh finishing touch.
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Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite
March 13, 2010 @ 6:46 pmOooh – nice one! My Bertolli sauces arrived last week and I can’t wait to try them when I am back from New Orleans!
pharmacy tech
April 4, 2010 @ 2:54 amWhat a great resource!