Great Taste Coaster

I’ve found that it’s hard to go wrong with recipes from Cuisine at Home. This recipe for Chicken Pappardelle with Sun-dried Tomatoes from the February 2008 issue was no exception. It’s basically chicken and pasta with a cream sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes and bacon, but it is topped with a Tomato-Broccolini Salad. Odd, but quite tasty.

I couldn’t find pappardelle at my grocery store so I substituted fettuccine instead and it worked out just fine. I also ended up substituting regular broccoli for the broccolini.

The final dish had a strong bacon flavor, but that’s OK by me. I’d definitely make this one again. Like the article said, it’s the perfect comfort food for a cold winter night.

Chicken Pappardelle with Sun-dried Tomatoes

8 oz. dry pappardelle
2 strips thick bacon, diced
1/3 cup sin-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained, minced
3 cups cooked chicken, sliced (12 oz.)
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cook pasta in salted, boiling water, drain, and set aside.

Saute bacon and tomatoes in a large nonstick skillet for about 3 minutes, or until the bacon browns. Add the chicken, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook together for about 1 minute.

Deglaze the skillet with the white wine, scraping the bottom. Add the chicken broth, cream, and cooked pasta, stirring and bringing to a simmer. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with tomato-broccolini salad.

Tomato-Broccolini Salad

4 oz. broccolini
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1.5 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Cook broccolini in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender. Drain, chop, and set aside.

Whisk the vinegar, oil, honey, and mustard together and season with salt to make a vinaigrette.

Toss tomatoes and broccolini in vinaigrette before serving.