Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce With Chicken And Balsamic Mushrooms Recipes

CREAMY BALSAMIC CHICKEN BACON MUSHROOM PASTA

Steps:

• Prep your bacon and chicken. Boil a large, salted pot of water and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, add the bacon to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it's nice and crispy (about 7-10 minutes). Take the bacon out of the pan and set it aside.
• Drain some of the bacon fat off, still leaving enough to cook the mushrooms in. Sauté the mushrooms for about 3-4 minutes or until they start to release some of their water.
• Add the chicken in the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes or so. Most of the liquid should be gone from the pan by now. If not, cook a little bit longer.
• Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook it for about a minute.
• Add the cream, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder to the pan. Give it a good stir (make sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan) and let it cook for 5 minutes or so (reduce heat if bubbling like crazy), taking care not to overcook the chicken.
• Stir in the parmesan cheese, bacon pieces, and season the sauce with salt & pepper as needed.
• Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss the sauce with the pasta continuously for a minute or two (I used tongs) - this will help thicken the sauce a bit.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN AND PASTA

Steps:

• Mince garlic cloves in food processor or blender. Add 1/3 of the basil leaves to the processor, and chop until fine. Pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil, and continue to process until mixture turns light yellow with flecks of basil. Add the balsamic vinegar; process just until combined.
• Place the chicken breasts in a large zip-top storage bag along with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, and the contents of the food processor. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Allow chicken to marinate for 2 hours, or up to overnight, turning occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Brown chicken in a large skillet over large heat, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large baking dish, and place in the oven until cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven, slice into 1/4 inch strips, and return to baking dish to absorb cooking juices. Keep warm.
• While chicken is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil the pasta until cooked through, but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well. Stir the chicken and the juices from the baking dish into the hot pasta.
• Thinly slice the remaining basil leaves, and place in a large serving bowl along with the tomatoes. Stir in 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Top basil and tomatoes with the hot pasta, sauce, and chicken; toss to combine.

CREAMY TUSCAN PASTA SAUCE WITH CHICKEN AND BALSAMIC MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Set out cream cheese to soften. Then prepare your chicken. Precooked chicken strips are very easy, and this would also be a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken, by dicing into bite-sized pieces. Or you can bake or pan-fry your chicken breasts and then cut into bite sized pieces.
• Prepare the balsamic mushrooms. First, in a small dish, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water, set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and salt and stir right away with a wooden spoon until the mushrooms have absorbed all the fat.
• Let the mushrooms cook undisturbed for 2 minutes and then stir once. The pan will look dry, but keep the heat at medium-high and continue to cook, stirring infrequently, until the mushrooms are shrunken, glistening, and some sides have developed a deep orange-brown color, 6 to 7 minutes more.
• Turn the heat to low, add the garlic and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Carefully add the balsamic mixture. Cook, stirring, until the liquid reduces to a glazey consistency that coats the mushrooms, 15 to 20 seconds. Season with pepper. Set aside mushrooms.
• Prep remaining ingredients - shred parmesan, mince garlic (or use garlic press), halve cherry tomatoes, julienne-slice basil leaves into thin strips, boil pasta.
• In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the dried basil. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should come together to form a smooth, creamy paste. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
• Over medium heat, add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper, salt, and half of the fresh basil. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes.
• Plate! Layer pasta, then chicken, then mushrooms, then sauce, and top with cherry tomatoes and remaining fresh basil.

CREAMY TUSCAN PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the dried basil. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should come together to form a smooth, creamy paste. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
• Over medium heat, add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked noodles.

CREAMY TUSCAN TOMATO PASTA WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.
• Chop chicken into bite sized pieces.
• Brown chicken in oil in a deep frying pan, set aside and keep warm.
• Fry onion and garlic in oil until soft and fragrant.
• Chop semi-dried tomatoes and olives into small pieces, add to onion and garlic.
• Add can of tomatoes, lemon juice and white wine.
• Mix in dried Italian spices, salt and pepper and chili flakes.
• When pasta is done add to tomato sauce with the chicken.
• Stir in cream and warm through, do not boil.