Chef Tashas Chicken And Spinach Pasta Food

CHICKEN & SPINACH SKILLET PASTA WITH LEMON & PARMESAN

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, lemon juice and zest; bring to a simmer.
• Remove from heat. Stir in spinach and the cooked pasta.
• Cover and let stand until the spinach is just wilted.
• Divide among 4 plates and top each serving with 1 tablespoon Parmesan.

HERBY CHICKEN AND SPINACH BAKED PASTA WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil sprigs and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard basil sprigs and stir in the chopped basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the fusilli in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, spinach, chicken, half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with more chopped basil if using.

CHEF TASHA'S CHICKEN AND SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Start water for the pasta. Make sure it has salt and oil. Whole wheat pasta tends to take a little more oil than other pasta. It also likes to stick, so take a fork to it the first 5 minutes or so to make sure you aren't having sticking issues. Cook it to "al dente" (just where it losses it's firmness). Do not overcook. When it is done, leave it in a colander until you need it again. Next, dice onions and mincing garlic. Throw that in a sauté pan with a tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and sauté over med heat until golden brown. While that is working, cut up your chicken. If you are trying to loose weight, use the breast meat and you can remove the skin. Of course, the skin gives a lot of flavor, so Chef Tasha Peters uses it. She also uses a little dark meat, cut into bite sized pieces. The rotisserie chicken, or Tyson strips are already cooked. Throw it in with the onions and garlic and heat it. But, if you choose to use raw chicken, turn the heat up because the chicken needs to cook all the way through. While the chicken is cooking, clean and pick through and wash the spinach. If you use baby spinach, the stems aren't as long and hard. But using a bag of regular spinach, pull the stem off where it meets the leaf. It is bitter tasting. Then chop the spinach up and add it to the chicken. Turn off the heat and blend the spinach with the chicken. Next, cut the grape tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes and the capers. Next, in a big bowl mix the chicken with the pasta and add either the basil pesto or Parmesan sauce -- it's your choice. Toss and blend thoroughly, then serve.

SAUTEED CHICKEN BREAST WITH FRESH SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add linguine and cook until a little less than al dente, about 8 minutes. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and 1 tablespoon of butter, heat until the butter is melted. Then add the chicken breasts, skin side down and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly colored.
• When done, transfer chicken breasts to a plate and set aside. Discard any fat from your skillet. Now, to the skillet add 2 tablespoons of butter, heat until butter is melted. Add onion, celery, carrots and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet, add rosemary, and bay leaf and cook, covered over moderately low heat for 5 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through but still slightly springy to the touch. Again, remove chicken from the skillet and transfer to a plate, pouring any remaining juice into the skillet and set aside. Now, prepare the sauce. To the same skillet add madeira and chicken broth, cook until reduced by half. Then add heavy cream and reduce until sauce is lightly thickened. Drain and pat dry linguine and transfer to a serving plate and toss with remaining tablespoon of butter. Top with chicken breasts. To the sauce add minced fresh herbs, taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Gently pour sauce over linguine and chicken, making sure to evenly coat the entire surface. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN, SPINACH & BACON ALFREDO PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Put the bacon rashers on a baking tray lined with foil and grill for 5 mins on each side until crisp. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or high-sided frying pan over a high heat. Season the chicken, then brown on both sides. Sprinkle over the oregano and add the garlic, then stir for another minute. Crumble in the stock cube and add 250ml water.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low-medium. Cook until the chicken is tender, about 15-20 mins, topping up with more water if the pan looks dry. Transfer the chicken to a board using tongs, then shred using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pan with the sauce.
• Whisk the flour into the cooking juices in the pan, turn up the heat and keep stirring until you have a smooth paste that clings to the chicken. Add 500ml water and the cream, then simmer, stirring occasionally for 8-10 mins, or until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 10 mins until it is just cooked but retains some bite. Drain.
• Add most of the parmesan, the mustard, spinach and half the chopped bacon to the sauce, then season to taste, if needed. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then stir in the cooked pasta.
• Tip the mixture into a large baking dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining parmesan and scatter over the top along with the tomatoes and remaining chopped bacon. The unbaked dish can now be frozen for up to two months (see below).
• To cook straightaway, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake for 35-40 mins, or until the top is golden and crunchy and the sauce is bubbling.

CHICKEN & SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onion, mushroom and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Add the chicken, spinach, 3 tablespoons cheese, lemon juice, pepper and pepper flakes; heat through. , Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

CREAMY CHICKEN, MUSHROOM, AND SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bow-tie pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl or a deep platter.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Season tenders with salt and pepper, place in the hot oil, and cook until lightly brown on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until light brown, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Add mushrooms and onion to the hot skillet and cook until onion is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth and mustard, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. Return chicken tenders to skillet and submerge them in the broth mixture. Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove chicken and place on top of the cooked pasta.
• Continue to cook the sauce until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in cream. Add spinach stir until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Pour sauce over chicken and pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley.