This week, we're back to comfort food, but with a twist. We're taking inspiration from around the globe to bring dinner to the table. We begin our journey with a pasta dish inspired by Italy's chicken picatta. If you love chicken, lemon, and capers but have a hard time saying no to creamy, cheesy pasta, this one's for you!
You can replace the white wine with additional chicken stock if you are looking to avoid cooking with alcohol. Likewise, while the tagliatelle pasta is glorious for bringing all that flavor to your plate, another long pasta (think spaghetti, fettuccine, or bucatini) will also do the trick. Try to avoid using short pasta for this one though. I love Trader Joe's Aglio Olio seasoning for this. Lots of good garlic and some crushed red pepper make it into a solid Italian seasoning and it brings so much flavor to the dish. You can use any Italian blend and always add a bit more in the way of garlic, pepper, or other flavors if you find it lacking. Make it yours!
I like to serve this with bread for sopping up the sauce and I might toss some parsley and chopped tomato on top just for color. Really though, just pour a glass of that white wine chilled and sit down to what feels like a fancy dinner that got to the table in about a half hour. Enjoy!
Chicken Picatta Skillet Pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium red onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups milk or half & half
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend, plus more for garnish (I used Trader Joe's Aglio Olio Seasoning Blend)
- 10 ounces uncooked tagliatelle noodles
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)
- 6 tablespoons capers, drained
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon zest
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Melt the butter in a large broiler-safe skillet over medium-high. Add the red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine; cook, stirring often, until evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken stock, milk or half & half, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and noodles. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low; continue simmering, carefully stirring occasionally and submerging the noodles after each stir, until the noodles are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped chicken, capers, parsley, lemon juice and zest, 1 ounce of grated Parmesan cheese, and all of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Stir gently until the cheese is melted.
Sprinkle the top of the skillet with the remaining Parmesan cheese and some of the Italian seasoning blend. Broil lightly until the cheese is melted and the pasta is ever so slightly golden at the exposed edges. Serve warm.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes