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!