Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta

Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta is a shout-out to our South African friends. Peppadews are sweet-hot pickled peppers from South Africa; deliciously addictive and now available worldwide. Lightly-seasoned chicken breasts are grilled, then sliced down and incorporated into a creamy Peppadew-rich sauce with pasta.  Use fanciful-cut dry pasta like cavatappi, radiatore, or rotelle/ruote (wagon wheels), as shown, when preparing Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta; the pasta will not only catch and hold the rich sauce but provide a great, fun, textural element to the dish.  Prepared with a few, easy to follow steps, Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta is a colorful and tasty main course.  Start with a Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad appetizer, then move on to Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta; accompany your meal with a well-chilled, dry crisp white wine.

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour. Serves 2 as a main course.

 Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta recipe for $1.00. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless Chicken Breast(s)
• Olive Oil
• Pinch fine Sea Salt
• Pinch ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tbs Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ cup thinly sliced Shallot
• 1 Tb thinly sliced Garlic
• 1/3 cup dry White Wine
• 1 cup Peppadews*, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 Bay Leaf, preferably fresh
• ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• ½ cup grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano Cheeses combined
• 3 oz Cavatappi, Radiatore, or Rotelle/Ruote (Wagon Wheels) Pasta per person

Preparation:

1. Slice the chicken breast(s) horizontally to yield two thin, flat pieces. Rub a small amount of olive oil into the sliced chicken breast pieces, then sprinkle with sea salt and ground black pepper on all sides.
2. Bring the grill to a high heat and grill the chicken about 3 minutes per side to an internal temperature of 165 F; remove from the grill to a bowl and allow to cool until they can be handled.
3. Slice the grilled chicken into thin strips, then into bite-size pieces, return to the bowl along with any juices and set aside.
4. Set a large pot of well-salted water to boil for the pasta
5. In a wide, deep frying or fricassee pan, melt the unsalted butter into extra virgin olive oil over a medium heat.
6. Add the shallot to the pan and sauté, uncovered, over a medium-low heat until softened. Add the garlic to the pan and continue to sauté until the garlic has softened and the shallot and garlic are golden.
7. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
8. Add white wine to deglaze the pan with the sauteed shallot and garlic over a medium-high heat.
9. Add the peppadews, bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes and heavy cream to the pan, stir to mix and cook uncovered until the cream thickens. Add the chicken pieces and any juices into the sauce along with the drained pasta, stir to combine, then add the grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses into the pan, stir and remove from the heat.
10. Serve Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta immediately, with additional grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses available at the table.

*Note:

• Peppadews are imported from South Africa and can be purchased in supermarkets either in jars or by weight in the deli section as well as via online retailers.