Today I was inspired by the Pioneer Woman (when am I not inspired by her…) and I whipped up her Chicken Florentine Pasta. I added to her recipe however and changed it a tiny bit. I used brown rice pasta (my new obsession thanks to Mikey) and I added mushrooms, artichoke hearts and fresh basil. It is so delicious!
With the rice pasta, this recipe is Gluten-Free and can be dairy free (leave out the parmesan) or vegetarian (leave out the chicken and substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth) Yay for eating healthy!
You can check out The Pioneer Woman’s blog and the recipe here: Chicken Florentine Pasta, or see the recipe below. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound Penne or brown rice pasta
- 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 3/4 cups Dry White Wine
- 3/4 cups Low-sodium Broth, More If Needed
- 1 bag Baby Spinach
- 2 cups Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
- 1/2 lb mushrooms sautéed
- 1 can artichoke hearts halved
- fresh basil chopped
- 4 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Shaved With Vegetable Peeler
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside.
Cut chicken breasts into chunks and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
Heat butter and olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken chunks in a single layer and do not stir for a minute or two in order to allow the chicken to brown on the first side. Turn the chicken and brown on the other side. Cook until done, then remove chicken from the skillet.
Turn heat to medium. Add garlic and quickly stir to avoid burning. After about 30 seconds, pour in wine and broth, stirring to deglaze the pan. Allow the liquid to bubble up, then continue cooking until it’s reduced by at least half (most of the surface of the liquid should be bubbling at this point.)
Turn off the heat. Add spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss to combine; the spinach will wilt as you toss everything. Add plenty of Parmesan shavings and fresh basil and toss to combine.
Serve with extra Parmesan shavings.
*Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
** Items I added to the recipe
Gina DiMartino 