rich creamy pasta with chicken

Ingredients rich creamy pasta with chicken

500 grams Chicken Breast
1 medium Onion
8 Mushrooms
350 grams Dried Pasta
284 ml Single Cream
150 grams Cheese
1 Chicken Stock Cube
1 tsp Black Ground Pepper
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp olive oil
1 Generous Blob Of Butter
1 pinch Salt (optional)
1 tbsp Plain Flour
2 clove Garlic (Minced)

how to make rich creamy pasta with chicken

Dice the chicken into approx. 1cm cubes - it doesn't have to be exact (we're not cooking for the queen!). Heat the oil in a large frying pan/wok, add the chicken and fry on a medium heat.

Dice the onion and mushrooms (but keep separate), mince the garlic and grate the cheese. You can cheat and use dried minced garlic, but be aware of your quantities - too much and you'll taste nothing but garlic, too little and you won't taste it at all

Once the chicken is cooked through, add the garlic and onions. Stir regularly, but not constantly.

When the onions start to soften (and look see through at the edges) add the mushrooms. Stir regularly.

Once the mushrooms have started to soften, add the black pepper, basil and crumble the stock cube over. Stir frequently, as by now there should be very little liquid in the pan. Turn the heat down to low, and keep stirring regularly, making sure it's not sticking to the pan.

When the temperature in the pan has dropped (a couple of minutes), slowly add the cream, a little bit at a time. I use a tall carton of Elmlea Single. Give it a really good stir while adding, to prevent the cream from 'splitting' (has never happened to me)

While the cream sauce is simmering on a low heat, add the pasta to a pan of boiling water (best to use straight out of the kettle), add the salt if you wish. You can also add a spoon full of olive oil to prevent the pasta sticking together. Cook for approx 10 minutes. (test from about 7-8 minutes, some people like al dente, some don't)

While the pasta is cooking, add your cheese to the pasta sauce. I use 150g as a guide, it's really 'to taste'. I alternate between parmesan and cheddar, depending on my mood. Stir in the cheese, it should melt straight into the sauce - if the sauce is too runny, you can add a little plain flour to thicken, although you want it runny enough to coat your pasta, so not too much.

Drain your cooked pasta, and toss with the butter (optional). Add the pasta to the sauce mix (i do it one ladel full at a time, ensuring the pasta is coated before adding more until i am happy with the consistency). Ideally your pasta will have a nice, even coating of sauce.

I usually serve with a green salad, and either garlic bread or ciabatta (warmed in the oven for 5 minutes). Grind a little more black pepper over to taste.