Lemon Chicken Pasta with Artichokes and Mushrooms...yum

Since I haven’t done a recipe in a while I thought I would share one today. To be honest, I haven’t been inspired enough to try anything new in the kitchen lately; that and the fact that I never measure anything when I cook, so guessing at amounts makes my brain hurt. But, that’s neither here nor there so let’s get on with the recipe.

You will need:

1 lb. of Angel Hair Pasta                                                

1 ½ c. chicken broth (or mix 50/50 with dry white wine)

½ sm onion, diced                                                           

2-3 small bonless skinless chicken breasts cubed

1 ½ cups  heavy cream                                                  

2 cloves garlic, minced                                                  

¼ cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese                               

1 sm. Jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained    

1 large lemon and the zest of the same lemon  

Sm container mushrooms sliced                                               

salt and pepper to taste                                               

2 tablespoons of cornstarch in COLD water         

1 tablespoon butter                                                       

Olive oil

Cook your pasta according to package directions and set aside. For me, timing is everything. I like it all to come together at once so, I put the pasta water on and start chopping and slicing. By the time I’m done the water is boiling and I can place the pasta in and start on the sauce.

You want your pasta al dente. (That means NOT BOILED TO MUSH for you non-cooks out there) When it’s done and drained, drizzle a little olive oil over the top and toss it so it doesn’t stick while you’re finishing up the sauce.

In a large deep skillet on medium high heat, melt the butter with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the cubed chicken and sauté until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic, artichokes, lemon zest, and mushrooms and sauté another 2-3 minutes. You may, or may not, need to add a little more olive oil or butter periodically during this process. Not too much though. You want a good browning going on.

Add the broth and the juice of the lemon. Be sure to scrape any yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. When the mixture begins to bubble, slowly stir in the cream and reduce to a simmer. This is the part where you salt and pepper to taste. This means add salt and pepper, TASTE IT, if it ain’t right add some more! I will never understand people who don’t taste their food as they cook and then wonder why it doesn’t taste right. Continue to cook for about 4 minutes.

Mix your cornstarch with just enough COLD water that it dissolves and set it aside. If you feel like you need the cold water and cornstarch lecture again I’ve linked it for you ---à here

Add the parmesan cheese and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes. There should be lot’s of stirring going on in this sauce process. If you don’t have something else you’re trying to pull together, you should be stirring, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan so nothing sticks.

Now, IF at the end of the process you find yourself feeling impatient (like me) and don’t feel like standing any longer to reduce the sauce and allow it to thicken, grab that cornstarch and COLD water mixture we set aside a minute ago. Very slowly add it to the sauce, stirring constantly and vigorously. Get a whisk if you think you need one. At any rate, keep it moving so you don’t have lumpy sauce.

Serve that sauce spooned over pasta. Or, if you’d rather, go ahead and toss it with the pasta and sprinkle a little parsley over the top to make it look pretty. Whatever floats your boat is fine with me.

Finally, after you’ve tried this, let me know how you like it. J