Thursday, February 26, 2009

Chicken Bolognese

Around here grocery shopping is an adventure that I'm not too keen about being forced into participation. I used to have access to Whole Foods. We have a scaled down version of a Whole Foods wannabe here; but I'm not complaining because at least I am able to get ingredients that I want or need.

One of the grocery stores I frequent, had a special on boneless, skinless chicken breasts; buy one get one free. Why are boneless, skinless chicken breasts in packs of three? Since there are four people in my family that have the bad habit of eating dinner, I try to think of ways to make these go further.

I thought of chicken bolognese and looked at a few websites for a recipe but the recipes I found called for ground chicken. Since I did not have ground chicken, I did my own thing.

Chicken Bolognese -

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat. When the oil is hot, add 3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 to 1-1/2 lbs), seasoned with salt and pepper and cook until well browned, approximately4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet set aside to slightly cool. Cut the chicken into generous bite sized pieces.





Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, when heated add 2 shallots finely chopped (or 1/2 red onion), 4 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup dry white wine and scrape any bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce until the white wine is almost completely evaporated.

Add 2 cups of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of tomato juice and simmer for about 20 minutes while the sauce thickens. Season sauce with 1/2 tablespoon oregano and 1 tablespoon basil. Also season with salt and pepper to taste.

While sauce is simmering, cook pasta until al dente. I used gemeli pasta because the twists help the sauce stick to the pasta and it was what I had in the pantry. You can use any short pasta that has twists or lines. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.





Slowly combine the pasta water into the sauce. Add the drained pasta to the sauce along with the 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and toss. Serve in a large bowl with more Parmesan and parsley leaves.



I don't know about you, but I could dive into this bowl and not come up for air!

36 comments:

Carol Murdock said...

I agree, dive now! It looks YUMMY!

Jennifer said...

Hi there-very creative of you to improvise. As far as streching the chicken, I usualy need to work with 2 breasts (about 1lb) as the huge packs at BJ's have 2 in each and I like to really stretch them so: I butterfly and cut each one in half and it is amazing that we all get full on that and sides etc. Granted, these are perdue breats and usually thick.

gigi said...

My diving skills aren't that good. Seeing as I really just do a cannon bomb, I'd have your kitchen a real mess. I'll stick to a soup ladle. You can get more in that way and not waste any. Yum, yum! I always love the fact that you just make it look so easy to make.

CookingCourtney said...

i've never tried chicken bolognese but that looks fab!

priscilla joy said...

Yum, mmm. These looks delicous. I'd love this!

Greg C said...

That looks great but at first glance I read your post as Chicken Bologna and I thought Ewwwwwww. :)

Netts Nook said...

I have a book with this recipe yours looks great.

Susie said...

That looks absolutely delicious!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such sweet comments. I hope to see you back there soon:-)

Donna-FFW said...

Dive in, hang out, and then eat your way back to the top. It looks THAT good! Love your improvising skills!

Marjie said...

Nice chicken dish. I'm with you on hating to go to the grocery store.

Maria said...

Another tasty meal at your place!

Anonymous said...

That looks excellent! A great way to do the bolognese without ground chicken - very creative! I do have a meat grinder as it is essential to some of my signature recipes but sometimes I feel to lazy to use it as it needs a thorough cleaning afterward :)

3 Bay B Chicks said...

Lovely, lovely site you have here. I like everything I am seeing, from your design to especially your posts.

This dish definitely needs to be on my dinner table tonight. Thanks for the tip!

-Wenda

PS: Had no idea that Whole Foods was nationwide now. Interesting!

Dewi said...

A healthier way to serve bolognese!
Cheers,
Elra

Anonymous said...

oh my goodness! that looks delicious!!!!!!!!!! waaaay better than the oatmeal i had this morning :o

my husband would LOVE to come home to a meal like this.... :) i think i will print out a picture of it and put it on his plate next to the Mac & Cheese :)

Anonymous said...

p.s. i LOVE the Smokey Mountains :)

i'm a fellow Tennessee gal, too!

Pam said...

Oh yum. I never thought to make chicken bolognese...great recipe!

Not Another Omnivore said...

Since working on my veganism, I've been passing a lot of amazing looking recipes onto my sister...this is one of them!

NAOmni

Sophia Lee said...

I love how you come up with ways to save money and use up the chicken in different ways. you're sure creative! lucky family to have you...

tamilyn said...

Yeah, why do they come in 3's? It is like the hot dogs/hot dog buns coming in different size packages. Hmmmmm. I have had (or seen) chicken bologese before. May have to look further into that bowl you have there!

tamilyn said...

HAVEN'T had is what I meant to say-jeez louise!

La Bella Cooks said...

Nothing better than a pig pan of delicious pasta. This looks so comforting and delicious!

Cathy said...

This is SO my kind of dinner!! It looks hearty and delicious! I often end up cutting my chicken into tenderloins or cubes to try to make it stretch further for my family of 5. Don't understand the 3 pack, that's for sure!

Debbie said...

YOur dish looks great. I wish I could just improvise and whip something up like you do. I need to follow recipes for the most part or I end up with disasters!!!

Tiffany said...

Yum-O! Visiting from SITS today! I will be back again for sure!

Lawsy Mercy said...

Oh My Katherine. That looks YUMMY!!! LOL on the local shopping. It isn't much better over here in Maryville :) I buy a side of beef at a time from a butcher in Maynardville. He also does pork and poultry. Comes already vacuum sealed. Kroger is the best for gourmet but that is about as big as it gets. Sigh

Peter M said...

Katherine, nice leaner version...a family fave I'm sure.

The Blonde Duck said...

I'll dive in with you. You take the left half, I'll take the right.

NKP said...

I could definitely dive into that! With good pasta and ice cream, I have no off button.

Anonymous said...

Over from SITS. I would love to have a Whole Foods close by... maybe in my next life!

Anonymous said...

YUMMM!!
love the spiral shaped pasta too

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious!

;)amy

Sara said...

This looks really good! I'm always looking for more quick and delicious pasta dishes.

Nanny Goats In Panties said...

OMG - that sounds so delicious!

Melissa said...

Wonderful job. I found my way over to your page a few days ago, I already can't remember from where (!), and started with pork tenderloin and kept reading. By the time I got this bowl of pasta, I knew I had to follow your blog. Love your food!! I'm also drooling over your spinach amore down there. Reminds me a lot of the creamed spinach recipe from Emeril I just got hooked to.

Can't wait to read more!

Chuck said...

Tried a few of your recipes, love them thus far. Have you ever fried Plaintains? I have never had any luck with them but do want to do them myself. The cuban cafes around Tampa all serve them.