Chicken Penne Ala Vodka Food

PENNE ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the pasta. Measure the vodka and keep it near the stove.
• In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Once it is hot and shimmering, add the onion, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Carefully add the vodka (be especially cautious if your stove has an open flame). Scrape with a wooden spoon or spatula to deglaze the pan, then let the vodka cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Bring this sauce to a steady simmer, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Adjust the heat as needed so that the sauce simmers gently so it continues to reduce but does not bubble aggressively. Let simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the half and half and let simmer 5 minutes more.
• While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta in the boiling water to al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and immediately add it to the sauce. Toss to coat the pasta, adding a bit of the pasta cooking liquid to loosen the sauce as needed. Stir in the Parmesan. Serve hot, sprinkled with basil or parsley.

CHICKEN PENNE ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Follow package instructions to cook PENNE PASTA with SALT added to the water.
• Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Briefly rinse the pasta with cool water to stop it cooking, and set aside.
• Flatten CHICKEN BREAST to 1/2" thickness with a flat-sided meat tenderizer. Season with SALT and PEPPER.
• Heat OLIVE OIL in skillet over med-high heat. Add CHICKEN BREAST and sauté about 3-4 minutes each side until chicken is cooked through.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board, cover, and rest.
• Continue heating skillet on med-high heat and add a splash of OLIVE OIL, if needed.
• Add ONION and GARLIC. Sauté until the onion is tender and slightly browned.
• Add VODKA and scrape the pan to release any browned bits to deglaze.
• Stir in CRUSHED TOMATOES, HEAVY CREAM, OREGANO, and CRUSHED RED PEPPER.
• Bring everything to a gentle boil. Then reduce heat to med-low and simmer about 10 minutes to thicken sauce, stirring as needed. This also cooks off the alcohol.
• Add COOKED PENNE to vodka sauce and allow to heat through, stirring as needed. Add splashes of the reserved pasta water as needed to adjust sauce consistency.
• Add PARMESAN CHEESE to the sauce, continue heating to incorporate, stirring as needed.
• Slice the cooked chicken into 1/2" thick pieces and add to the vodka sauce along with the COOKED CHICKEN BREAST.
• Stir everything together. Add SALT and PEPPER to taste.
• Serve warm garnished with chopped fresh OREGANO or parsley.
• To store, allow chicken pasta to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.

PENNE ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions.
• Saute the garlic and onions in 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until soft. Pour in the vodka, being careful if your stove has an open flame (remove the pan from the heat before adding). Cook and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, then pour in the tomato puree. Stir the mixture until it's thoroughly combined, then reduce the heat to low. Pour in the heavy cream. Stir to combine, then turn heat to the lowest simmer possible. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the drained pasta into the sauce and toss to combine. Sprinkle on the Parmesan, then sprinkle on more red pepper flakes if desired.

PENNE WITH VODKA SAUCE

Steps:

• Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
• Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

PENNE ALLA VODKA WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Cook pasta until al dente and drain. 2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add butter when hot and let melt. Add chicken and spread them into a single layer. Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes (without disturbing). 3. Add onion, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to the chicken, cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked and onion is translucent. 4. Stir in marinara sauce, heavy cream and vodka. Cook, stirring occasionally for 7 to 10 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly and thickened. 5. Stir in cooked pasta, parmesan cheese and basil. Toss well and serve.

INSTANT POT® PENNE ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®) and select Saute function. Select High temperature setting, and preheat the pot for 1 to 2 minutes. Add butter and oil. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.
• Pour in vodka and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Cancel Saute function. Stir in water, penne, and salt. Pour tomatoes over penne; do not stir. Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 4 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.
• Release pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid. Stir in cream and Parmesan cheese; let stand for 3 minutes. Stir in pepper.

CHEF JOHN'S PENNE WITH VODKA SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon and rosemary sprig with olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until bacon renders its fat but is not crisp, about 5 minutes. Pour vodka into the skillet, standing back to avoid any flare-ups. Raise heat to high and continue to cook until the vodka reduces to about 2 tablespoons.
• Pour heavy cream into skillet, stir briefly, and add black pepper; bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until sauce has slightly reduced, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix marinara sauce and water into cream mixture and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and simmer sauce 20 to 25 minutes to blend flavors.
• Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still chewy, about 10 minutes; drain and return to pot. Pour sauce over penne and stir to combine. Turn off heat, cover pot with a lid, and let stand 5 minutes for pasta to absorb sauce. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

HIGHLY RATED PENNE ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Puree half of the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth (about 20 seconds).
• Chop the remaining tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, discarding the cores. Combined the pureed and diced tomatoes in a liquid measuring cup (about 1 2/3 cups). Add the reserved liquid to equal 2 cups.
• Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for the pasta. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is almost al dente.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is light golden around the edges (about 3 minutes).
• Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
• Stir in the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vodka.
• Return the saucepan to medium heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the alcohol flavor has cooked off (8-10 minutes).
• Stir in the cream and cook until hot (about 1 minute).
• Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the past, and return it to the pot.
• Stir in the sauce and toss to combine. Cook over medium heat until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce (about 1-2 minutes). You can thin the sauce with the reserved pasta cooking water if needed.
• Stir in the basil and serve. Pass grated Parmesan cheese separately for extra flavour!
• Slice and add baked chicken on top (optional).