Mozzarella Chicken And Asparagus Pasta Recipe 455 Food

CHICKEN MOZZARELLA PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to cook, without stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir the chicken around to brown it on all sides. Remove to a plate.
• In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the garlic and onions and stir immediately to start cooking. Cook until the onions are deep golden, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low and pour in the marinara sauce, red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup water. Stir until the onions and garlic are mixed in, then add the chicken back to the skillet. Add the parsley and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Make sure the sauce is bubbly and very hot, then gently stir in the mozzarella. Let sit, undisturbed, until you can see that the mozzarella is very soft, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Drain the pasta and pour it onto a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Immediately sprinkle on the Parmesan shavings. Pour on the sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and the chiffonade of basil and serve immediately!

SPAGHETTI WITH ASPARAGUS, SMOKED MOZZARELLA AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Cook the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. With a spider or slotted spoon, remove asparagus from boiling water to a bowl of ice water to cool and stop the cooking. When cool, strain, cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces, and set aside.
• Return the water in the pot to a boil, adding additional water, if necessary. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add asparagus to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the pasta, and if needed, some of the reserved cooking liquid. Toss to coat. Add the prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil, and toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Remove all sinew and cartilege from the chicken breast and cut into strips about 1 and 1/2 inches long and a half inch wide.
• Scrape and trim the asparagus, discarding any tough ends, and cut on the diagonal into one and half lengths.
• Drop the asparagus into rapidly boiling water and cook for just a few moments--they should still be crisp--and drain and reserve, keeping warm.
• Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until al dente and drain and reserve, keeping warm.
• Heat the butter in a casserole and add the chicken strips, stirring and seasoning with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, cooking less than a minute, until the chicken just begins to change color.
• Add the asparagus and stir.
• Add the shallots and cook briefly, about 30 seconds.
• Add the cream, hot red pepper (or pepper flakes) and the tarragon and stir.
• Break the gorgonzola cheese into small lumps and add it, cooking just until the cheese melts.
• Add a generous grinding of black pepper and the tarragon and stir.
• Add the drained pasta and toss well.
• Serve with grated parmesan on the side.

CHICKEN & ASPARAGUS PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-sized cubes and place in skillet with olive oil.
• Cook until partially done.
• Add asparagus and mushrooms, continue cooking until chicken is done.
• Add chicken broth and cover pan, cook until asparagus is crisp tender.
• Add pasta, red pepper flakes (to taste) and feta cheese.

ASPARAGUS CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Turn oven to 375°F and start a pot of boiling water for pasta.
• Cut chicken into bite size pieces, toss in a bowl with 1 pinch of kosher or sea salt, 1 pinch of black pepper and 1 pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Cut the top 1/4th of the garlic bulb off to expose tops of cloves.
• Brush garlic lightly with olive oil, place on oven-safe pan in the corner.
• Rinse and dry asparagus - hold a stick of asparagus between your fingers towards the end of the stick and give it a light bend - snap the bottom of the asparagus stick off slightly before it starts getting hard - repeat with each stick (or for a time saver - just chop off the bottom 1 and 1/2 inches of each stick).
• Place asparagus in the oven-safe pan with the garlic - lightly coat with olive oil - sprinkle 1 pinch of kosher or sea salt and one pinch of black pepper on asparagus and garlic.
• Cook in oven for 25 minutes or until asparagus is crisp and garlic clove is browned (You may need to remove one before the other is done cooking depending on sizes).
• Cook penne pasta according to instructions on packaging; add table salt to water after water starts to boil - drain when cooked slightly beyond al-dente and rinse quickly with cool tap water.
• Cut mozzarella into pieces less than 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch and place off to the side.
• In a frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add chicken pieces - stir often to cook each piece and each side evenly until golden brown.
• In a large bowl, empty chicken pieces and remaining olive oil, toss in pasta and mozzarella.
• Cut asparagus into bite size pieces and add to pasta mixture.
• Remove garlic cloves from husk and chop or mash with a knife or fork into small pieces and mix well into pasta mixture.
• Add remaining seasonings and parmesan cheese and give it one last good mix then serve.

ASPARAGUS AND MOZZARELLA STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
• Place each chicken breast between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.
• Place 4 spears of asparagus down the center of a chicken breast, and spread about 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese over the asparagus. Repeat with the other chicken breast, and roll the chicken around the asparagus and cheese to make a tidy, compact roll. Place the rolls seam sides down in the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle each with about 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the juices run clear when pricked with a fork, about 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

PASTA WITH CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS & PROSCIUTTO (OR BACON)

Steps:

• Trim the asparagus and cut into short lengths on the diagonal - keep the tips separate. (If you like, peel the stems to give a more vibrant colour when cooked.) Cook the stems in salted boiling water for about 4 minutes, then add the tips and cook for 1 minute more. Drain and refresh under cold running water.
• Peel the lemons with a serrated knife, remove all the white pith, then cut into segments by slicing each side of the pieces of membrane. Now cut the segments into small pieces (flick out any pips) and put them in a bowl with any juice. Broil the prosciutto for 3-4 minutes until crisp - keep an eye on it because it can burn easily.
• Meanwhile cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted boiling water until al dente.While it's cooking, put the butter and half the cream in a large pan and let them bubble together over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Tip in the lemon segments and juice, the chicken, asparagus and a few pinches of salt. Turn off the heat.
• Drain the pasta and add it to the contents of the pan along with the rest of the cream. Toss well, adding black pepper and nutmeg to taste, and the grated parmesan. Toss again, top with the prosciutto and serve immediately.

SESAME CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
• Place the garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, peanut butter and soy sauce in a food processor. Process for one minute. With motor running, slowly add the sesame and chile oils through the feed tube, and process until well blended.
• Shred the chicken into 2 inc julienne and toss with linguine. Add the sauce and 4 T of the sesame seeds and toss to coat well.
• Cut the asaragus on a diagonal into 1 inch lengths. Blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and pat dry.
• Place the linguine and chicken in a large flat serving bowl and arrange the asaragus on top. Sprinkle with scallions, cucumber and remaining sesame seeds.
• Serve at room temperature.

SPRING PASTA SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Put up a large pot of salted water for cooking the pasta and bring it to a boil.
• Add the asparagus and blanch it until just tender, about 3 minutes.
• Scoop the asparagus from the water with a large strainer spoon and place in a colander. Run cold water over it to stop the cooking process, and to preserve the bright green color. Drain well and slice into small pieces on the diagonal, leaving the tips whole.
• Bring the water back to a rapid boil and cook the penne until just al dente (tender but slightly firm to the bite). Run the pasta under cold water and drain very well.
• In a large serving bowl, add the pasta, the blanched asparagus and all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and toss well until all the pasta is well coated with dressing. Taste for seasoning. This is best served at room temperature.
• Note: Another lovely addition to this pasta is about 3/4 cup freshly shelled spring peas. Blanch them for 1 minute in the boiling pasta water after you blanch the asparagus. Drain well and add them to the bowl along with the other ingredients.