Chicken Caesar Pasta
This quick and super-simple recipe is great warmed up for dinner, at room temperature for a picnic or cold in your lunch box the next day. Now there’s a bargain for ya!
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigano Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce, finely chopped
Preparation
Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Right before draining, remove and reserve 1 cup of the pasta-cooking water. Drain the pasta thoroughly, return to the pot and reserve.
While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook in the pan until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside. When cool enough to handle, chop the chicken into bite-size pieces.
While the chicken is cooking, place the egg, Dijon, Worcestershire, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor with some salt and pepper. Pulse the processor while drizzling in the canola oil. Add the sauce to the pan of cooked pasta along with the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and the reserved cup of pasta water.
Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta is coated in sauce, about a minute. Remove from the heat, then toss the pasta with the lettuce and chopped chicken and serve.
