Surprise Pasta
Submitted by prettydove
Sautéed chicken breast coated in orange juice and flour, then simmered with balsamic vinegar, colorful peppers, and mushrooms over wagon wheel pasta. A 50-minute dinner for two with a tangy, rich pan sauce.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
50 minThe “surprise” here is that tangy-sweet punch from orange juice and balsamic vinegar meeting golden-browned chicken. You wouldn’t expect those two to get along so well, but they create a glossy, rich pan sauce that coats every wagon wheel.
Sautéed peppers, onions, and mushrooms bring color and bite, while thyme ties the whole thing together with a savory whisper.
This is a solid weeknight dinner for two that looks and tastes like you fussed over it.
Kitchen Tips
- Don’t overcook the chicken in the sauté step. You want it light brown on both sides, then it finishes in the sauce. Dry chicken ruins the whole dish.
- Use a really good balsamic vinegar here. The cheap stuff can taste harsh. A mid-range aged balsamic makes the sauce sing.
- Toss the drained pasta with a pat of butter while it’s still hot so nothing sticks together before the sauce goes on.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the onion ends off and peel.
Slice in half as you would an apple.
Place each half, cut side down and slice ¼ inch slices.
Slice the peppers in half and core and seed them.
With a sharp knife, cut very thin julienned slices of half, if the peppers are large, or whole peppers if smaller.
In a large pot, add cold water.
When boiled, add pasta, occasionally stirring to separate the pieces.
Always time pasta after it re-boils.
After seven minutes, taste a piece to see if it is cooked.
When cooked to taste, drain and put back into pot (turn off flame) with a tablespoon margarine.
Stir to coat.
Heat a ten inch Teflon coated sauté pan with half the oil.
On med-low heat, sauté the onion.
Before it just starts to brown, add the pepper pieces.
Sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add mushrooms until they are coated with oil, about 90 seconds.
Remove to a bowl, leaving perhaps a three tablespoons of mixture in pan.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the chicken by washing and drying the pieces.
Place the flour and orange juice into a small plastic bag.
Add the chicken and shake the bag to coat.
Place the rest of the oil into the pan, turn up heat to medium and sauté the chicken until light brown on both sides.
Do not over cook.
Add thyme and the cooked vegetables to the pan.
Cover the chicken.
Add ¼ cup cold water to deglaze with the vinegar and juice.
Lower the flame and simmer for five minutes until chicken is cooked through, but moist.
Place pasta into plates and spoon rich brown mixture over top.
Add chicken pieces and arrange over pasta.
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