Paprika Chicken Pasta

Since we’re fans of paprikash, I figured this paprika chicken pasta would be a hit in our house. I tweaked the recipe slightly by adding mushrooms and changing up the pasta, but otherwise kept things the same. And I didn’t brine the chicken. I know I could have since I’m WFH…but I just didn’t feel like it.

Start by cooking pasta – I used egg noodles. While the water is boiling, Drizzle boneless skinless chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt, garlic powder, and a bunch of paprika. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes (or until cooked). While it’s all cooking, make your sauce. Melt 2 tbsp butter and sauté with sliced cremini mushrooms. When the mushrooms soften, add several cloves of minced garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes (you may need a bit more butter too). Add 2 tbsp flour and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add 1/4 c. wine and 1 1/2 c. chicken stock. Don’t add all at once – add, stir, add, stir. That way the flour incorporates properly. Once it’s all combined, add 2 tsp paprika and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (this was another of my tweaks), as well as 1/4 – 1/2 c. cream (I used half and half here). Stir until bubbly and thickened. Add some salt and the juice of half a lemon. The pasta and chicken should be done by now. Take the chicky chicky out of the oven and slice it so it’s nice and pretty. Toss the pasta with the sauce, top with the sliced chicken, and add more sauce if you please. this would look lovely garnished with some fresh parsley…but I don’t ever have fresh parsley around. I did, however have some grated parmesan that I poured all over this (after taking the pic, sorry) and it really upgraded things.

This was such a hearty and satisfying meal. This is not a healthy dish. I’m sorry about that. But it is a comforting and simple quarantine meal – and one that you can definitely make since it’s comprised almost entirely of pantry staples and/or ingredients that are very readily available at any supermarket. You won’t be impacted by shortages here!