Pasta is, no doubt, one of the most many-sided elements in cooking; apart from de fact that there are thousands of ways to prepare it, it’s a meal that everybody loves. The creamy pasta we are now introducing has the elegance touch given by asparagus and a unique flavor provided by Neufchâtel cheese.
Ingredients
- 500 g. boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- 1 spoonful of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of dried basil
- ½ teaspoon of dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon of dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 340 g. penne pasta
- 500 g. asparagus cut in 5 cm. pieces with no tips
- 1 ½ spoonfuls of butter
- 2 spoonfuls of all-purpose flour
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 ¾ cups of milk
- ¼ cup of cream
- 100 g. Neufchâtel cheese
- 1/3 of finely chopped onion
- 1/3 of Parmesan cheese
- 4-5 slices of cooked and shredded bacon
Preparation
- Mix basil, oregano, thyme and ¼ of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture uniformly all over the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan at medium-high heat. Once hot, put the chicken in, with the spiced side down, and spread the remaining spice mixture over the top side. Cook the chicken till it’s ready, about 8 to 12 minutes, turning it around once in a while.
- Take the cooked chicken to a dish, let it rest for 5 minutes and cut it into square pieces.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta following the instructions in the package; set apart ½ cup of the pasta water before throwing it out.
- In a clean (big and deep) frying pan, melt butter at medium heat. Pour the flour into the frying pan and beat; cook for a minute, continuously stirring, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, continuously stirring. As you stir, pour the milk slowly and then add the cream (beat energetically to break the lumps).
- Season it to taste with salt and pepper when it’s about to boil, continuously stirring. Once boiled and thickened, reduce heat to medium-low, add pieces of Parmesan and Neufchâtel cheeses and cook, frequently stirring, until cheeses are melted.
- Add the cooked pasta, then the cooked chicken, steam asparagus and bacon, and stir to cover everything in a uniform way. Add the pasta water you previously set aside. Let it integrate and serve immediately.
