Chicken Pasta - Winter Warmer

[sleepygreg]

Had a call from my sis this arvo asking me if I could whip up something for dinner tonight as she had a heap of work to do and the hungry hordes would be champing at the bit come dinner time.

Thinking cap on and not wanting an expensive trip to the supermarket....what was in the pantry? Hmmmm....mushrooms, some short cut bacon, definitely olive oil (got caught out on that one last time - so i bought a bottle yesterday).....woollies had chicken tenderloins on special for $9 a kilo....ok problem solved!!!!

This is what I came up with.....not claiming it as my own as I am sure others have done a similar dish....but it went down well with the resident vultures.

Ingredients

500g chicken tenderloins (cut into bite size pieces - trim out that white bit of tendon)

Mushrooms - about the equivalent of two breakfast dishes full - stalks removed and sliced about 1/2 cm thick ( I used the open flat mushies, full of flavour - if you want a really nutty taste use Portabelos if you can get em).

Shortcut Bacon - this is the eye of the bacon - very little fat ( I didnt want the bacon fat to overpower the dish - just the smokey taste of the bacon plus a bit of texture) - about 200g - cut into 2cm x 1/2 cm pieces.

3 decent sized cloves of garlic - chopped

1 Medium onion chopped

1 and 1/2 cups of chicken stock ( I use the campbells one)

1 container of cooking cream (the one with the green lid - only comes in one size)

about half a cup of finely chopped continental (flat leaf) Parsley. ( i have it growing in the garden so plenty of the stuff here).

Extra virgin olive oil.

Salt and Pepper to season.

Method

1.In a large deep frypan over medium heat put enough olive oil in to cover the base of the pan.

2. Once the oil is fragrant (you can smell the fruitiness of it) chuck in the garlic and the onion.

3. Let this fry away for a minute or two - until it just starts to become soft.

4. Put in the chicken and let it cook until you cant see any raw flesh (dont brown it...it should be an even white colour) stir it around a bit while cooking so it gets done on all sides - dont worry about the onion and garlic being around the sides of the pan - thats where you want it to be.

5. Once the chicken is looking evenly cooked - toss in the bacon - now is the time to start mixing the the onion and garlic in with the chicken and bacon....i turned the heat up a bit at this stage so the bacon would catch a bit. Keep moving it every minute or so.

6. When you can get a wiff of the bacon starting to cook...chuck in the mushrooms and start stirring the mix. (the bacon is not meant to be crisp...so dont overcook it). Once the mushrooms get a bit of colour to them its time for the next step.

7. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil...giving the mix a good stir.

8. Season with some salt and pepper (taste after you have seasoned)..you shouldnt need much - the bacon will add the saltiness to the dish.

9. Once it is all bubbling away....pour in the cream and turn down the heat to a simmer. Stirring well.

Let it simmer until the mix has reduced to a reasonable consistency - (about two thirds of original volume).

10. Add a dob of butter (about a tablespoon) and half a handfull of parsley and stir until the butter has melted.


This can now be served over your favourite pasta.

Tonight I served it with Fettucini......garnished with fresh parsley.

Some crusty bread on the side made for a great winter warmer dish.


PS. Always taste as you go....it is crucial to adjusting recipes especiall re the salt and pepper components.

[FISHAWN]

Love this dish, mines quite similar except I seal the chicken 1st then remove it (helps kep the chicken moist and tender), then do the onion garlic and also add a good splash of white wine, and return chicken just before I add the cream.

[lethal098]

nice stuff Greg, making my mouth water.

cheers Lee

[sleepygreg]

FISHAWN, have also done it your way, and it was yummy as well. I wanted to try it without the wine... I thought I would be saying afterwards " I should have put the wine in it". But it had a different flavour alltogether - I think the knob of butter at the end gives it a little more oomph.

Lets hear from more people on their variations on this dish....like I said before...I am not claiming it as my own. I had to go as safe as I could this time as a couple of the diners are not very adventurous eaters.

Cheers
Greg