Lunch / Dinner
Creamy Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms & Tomatoes
Pasta is always a busy cook’s friend. Add chicken and a creamy mushroom sauce and it’s a best friend to anyone who eats. Pasta is definitely a dinner staple. It’s easy to see why — you can dress it up or down and it’s quick.
This version with chicken and a rich, creamy mushroom sauce falls into the dressed-down category. Much of this dish’s richness comes from the creamy mascarpone cheese added to the mushrooms to form a sauce. Mascarpone is really just a delicate, buttery version of cream cheese and it’s fine to use the more familiar ingredient if you can’t locate mascarpone. Just note that the sauce will have a tangier bite than if you use mascarpone.
Of course, just when you think this dish might be a bit too rich for your blood, the cherry tomatoes add just the right touch of acid to cut through all that richness.
Ingredients
COOK:
SAUTÉ:
DEGLAZE:
Test Kitchen Tip
Farfalle, also known as bow-tie or butterfly pasta, works well in this dish, but other shapes like campanelle, penne, and ziti are good too.
Instructions
Cook farfalle in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.
Sauté chicken in 2 Tbsp. oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until cooked through, 8–10 minutes; transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to pan; cook until mushrooms are browned, 7–8 minutes.
Deglaze pan with sherry; simmer until nearly evaporated. Add broth and simmer until liquid slightly reduces. Off heat, add mascarpone; stir until creamy.
Combine tomatoes, pasta, and chicken in a bowl, then stir in mushroom mixture to combine. Garnish servings with Parmigiano-Reggiano and chives.
So that the shallots don’t scorch and have a burned taste, stir the mushroom mixture frequently.
To ensure the sauce doesn’t curdle, add the softened mascarpone to the mushrooms off heat.
It’s easiest to toss the chicken, pasta, and tomatoes with the mushroom mixture in a large bowl.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 784
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 43g 66%
Saturated Fat 19g 95%
Cholesterol 166mg 55%
Sodium 386mg 16%
Carbs 51g 17%
Fiber 3g 12%
Protein 44g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.