(TPC's Penne Arrabbiata con Pollo)
Here's another delicious and easy dish. This is great baked in an over for an hour or more, but I'm giving you the quick version.
I used chicken thighs because I had them on hand, and I really like them. They work well in a simmered dish like this because they have enough fat to keep them moist. If you make this with breasts, you'll want to cook them off almost entirely then remove them while the sauce comes together, adding any juices from the meat to the skillet, of course. Adding peppers and onions (some add mushrooms as well) would make it a cacciatora, but I didn't go that route.
To define a few terms, Arrabbiata means "angry", referring to the spiciness in the dish. Cacciatora is an Italian word for "hunter", inferring a rustic style of cooking.
Easy, easy, easy. Here's how it came together.
TPCs Simple Penne Arrabbiata con Pollo
For two:
4 chicken thighs (If you prefer using 2 breasts, see above)
1 14 oz. can of diced or crushed tomatoes Note: I keep diced tomatoes in the pantry, then pour the liquid into the skillet and buzz up the tomatoes in the can with my immersion blender myself, so I have control over the consistency. Okay, I'm a control freak when it comes to sauces. Where was I? Right:
1 14 oz can of low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup of red wine, get as lavish as you like
1/2 head of garlic, sliced
pinch of dry thyme
crushed red peppers, TT
fresh basil, rosemary or chives to finish, chopped
good olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/2 to 2/3 lb. penne
kosher salt and black pepper
Grated Parmesean cheese
Get a medium-large skillet hot. Season the top really well with kosher salt and pepper. Lay in your chicken skin side down, then season the bottom. Sizzle is important. Let it brown, and don't be a "chicken" about it. It will never get any browner than it is now, so don't serve wimpy, anemic-looking chicken to anyone you care about. It needs to be really brown, did I mention that? Flip it onto the bottom, and brown it as well. If you doubt that your top is crispy enough, flip it onto the skin again until it is, then over onto the bottom again. You won't be turning it again, because you don't want the skin getting soggy in the sauce.
Pour off some of the fat if you must, but not all, please. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper. Let it get lightly browned, but no more.
During the next steps, avoid getting liquid on the crispy skin of your chicken. The sauce you're creating should only come 2/3 of the way up the sides of your bird.
Add the red wine, and let it reduce by 1/2.
Add the chicken broth, reduce it 1/3.
Add the tomatoes and thyme, and bring it to a brisk simmer. Let it simmer so that the chicken cooks all the way and the sauce comes together, about 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes. If your liquid evaporates, add some water. You want a hearty sauce with a nice consistency.
Cook your pasta while your sauce simmers. Drain it, put it back in the pot and toss it with a little sauce.
During the last 5 minutes, add your torn basil or rosemary, if you're using it. Put your breasts back in to finish, if you used them.
Add some lemon juice, taste and season again, if necessary. I've mentioned this before, but really, taste as you go. Why in the world do you want your guests to be the first ones to discover that your dish is boring, or that you've left out something important?
Plate it with sauce underneath the chicken and on top of the pasta, then add grated parm. Mange!
