Linguine with Chicken Thighs

by Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond

1 package Linquine (or your favorite pasta)
Olive oil
8 whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 whole small to medium sized onion, chopped
3-4 whole garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
2 (15 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch of sugar
Fresh parsley, chopped, to taste
Fresh basil, chopped, to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and place the dry linquine noodles into it.  Cook them until al dente (tender firm).
Begin by cutting up the chicken thighs into small pieces.  Heat a large skillet until very hot and then generously drizzle in some olive oil.  Swirl to coat the pan, then add half of the cut up chicken to the pan, spreading them out as you put them in.  NOTE:  Do not begin stirring the chicken immediately as you want to get them nice and brown.
After a minute or two, flip over the chicken with a spatula.  Then let it brown on the other side.  After it's brown, remove it to a plate and set aside.
Repeat with the second half of the chicken pieces, remove from the pan and set all of the chicken aside.
Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into the hot pan and throw in the chopped onions and the garlic and give them a stir.
Now add the wine (or chicken broth), whisking to deglaze the bottom of the skillet.  Cook until the liquid reduces by half.
Add the two cans of crushed tomatoes and stir to combine.  Add slat and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the chicken (and don't forget all of those yummy juices), to the tomato/onion mixture and continue simmering for another 15 minutes.  Toward the end of the cooking process, chop up your fresh parsley and basil and add it to the sauce, stirring to combine.   Place pasta on a platter or in a large bowl and smother with the sauce.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

So, I thought this was going to be quick and easy to make for dinner tonight.  Silly me, what was I thinking?  It was easy but it sure wasn't quick.  It's my fault for thinking that though.  But anyways, I got home around 5:30p and we didn't eat until 7p.  What took the longest was cutting up the chicken thighs.  I had already bought the chicken before I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's website.  I should of told my retired hubby to cut it up for me, which he's so helpful when it comes to that.  I was a little frustrated, so much that I did not take any pictures of the process.  I had thought about it while I was cutting up the chicken but I was too frustrated and tired.  N-e- whoo, I love cooking with fresh herbs which I have plenty of in my backyard begging to be used. It was a very good, light meal, which my "meat and potatoes man" so gently commented on and we have enough leftovers for me to take to work with me.  Yay!

Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

by the CookandBeMerry blog

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless & cut into 1-inch portions

1 lb. Italian sausage (any variety), removed from casing

2 tablespoons dry Italian herb mix (purchased, any favorite brand)

2 tablespoons - Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups yellow, brown or red onion, medium diced

3 tablespoons garlic minced

To season, Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed then angle-sliced in 1-inch portions

1 lb. crimini mushrooms (baby bellas), quartered

1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 cup Marsala wine

2 cups Parmigiano cheese, shredded or flaked

1/2 cup Marscarpone cheese, room temperature

1 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

1+ lb. favorite pasta (I used bowtie or Farfalle pasta), cooked in salted water to al dente

1/4 cup purchased basil pesto

Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and sausage.  Season with the dry herbs, salt and pepper.

Brown the meat then remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.  Cover to keep warm.

Using the same skillet (do not clean), warm the butter over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onions and garlic.  Saute just until the onions are tender (2 minutes).  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add the asparagus, mushrooms and tomatoes to the skillet.  

Continue to cook just until the asparagus is crisp tender, the mushrooms are soft and the tomatoes barely cook (3-4 minutes).  Off the heat, add the wine, return the skillet to the heat, scraping up any browned portions, cook until it is nearly absorbed. Stir in the precooked chicken and sausage.  Cook, stirring, just until warmed through.

Just before serving, stir the Parmesan, Mascarpone and basil into the ragu.  Toss the pasto with the pesto.  Serve on individual plates or a platter topped with a generous serving of ragu.  Garnish with more parmesan cheese if desired.

I love pasta and enjoy finding new ways to cook it.  On today's "Pioneer Woman's" blog, she was featuring pasta dishes from all over the blog world.  I scrolled through them just because I like looking at the pictures she posted.  I came to a halt when I saw this one.  I was thrilled when I read that I had most of the ingredients even though I still had to go to the store for a few more items.  I whipped this up for dinner tonight it about an hours time.  I'm sure once I make it more often, I could probably whip it up within 45 minutes which isn't too bad.  The Italian sausage I used were links without a casing, which I already had in the refrigerator waiting for me to do something with them.  It was a hot spicy Italian sausage and it tasted great.  I didn't use the pesto at the end only because I'm not a big fan of pesto, it's just too strong for me and always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  Plus, this dish has plenty of basil in my opinion, don't think it needs anymore.  Hubby seemed to like this dish, especially since it had two kinds of meat.  I'm not sure if Grandma liked it, she's not crazy about mushrooms so she set those aside but otherwise finished off her plate.  There's plenty left so I know what I'll be taking for lunch the rest of the week and I don't mind  one bit!~isavortheweekend