I watch Food Network, I know big shocker there! Sometimes on Chopped, or other shows a judge will criticize the chef because there are too many ingredients or flavors going on in a dish. While I understand how sometimes a dish can have too much in it and the flavors compete instead of compliment or support each other, I love dishes that build rich flavors by seasoning throughout cooking and using each ingredient’s aspect to play off their teammate’s qualities. I’m not sure the judges would like this dish, because there is a lot going on and I can’t imagine trying to remember all these ingredients while in the mock pantry on the set, let alone trying to carry them back to your station in under 60 seconds or whatever allotted time they have. It took me a few takes just to get everything in the Ingredients picture because I kept forgetting items, but I like it and my family likes it! There’s a lot in it, but I think the veggies and flavors work well. The saltiness of the prosciutto combined with the earthy mushrooms and then the zing from the sweet sun-dried tomatoes really wakes up those taste buds. All these ingredients are married together with a nice buttery wine garlic cream sauce that goes with just about anything. That’s why I’m calling it Kitchen Sink Pasta! It’s a great way to sneak in some veggies that may not be a favorite in the house, which parent’s can appreciate. Also since there’s so much in it, you don’t really need a side dish. You can just serve alone or with a little salad like I did and you have a well-balanced meal. This recipe is based on a dish that I like to order at Granite City Food and Brewery. There, it comes with linguine. I used penne rigate pasta, but most of the ingredients are the same. So if you dine there, you can order their version of this dish and compare it to my Kitchen Sink Pasta because you need to run to the store and get all the stuff and make this for dinner tonight!
Kitchen Sink Pasta
Ingredients
1 lb pasta – I like a short pasta like penne rigata, but use whatever you like.
1 1/2 – 2 lbs boneless chicken breast
1/2 C Italian dressing
1 bundle of fresh green asparagus with ends trimmed
2 oz prosciutto thinly sliced – I used 4 thin slices. You could substitute with bacon if you wish.
4 TBS butter
4 TBS All Purpose Flour
1 C dry or semi dry white wine
3 C chicken broth – I used low sodium chicken soup base dissolved in 3 C boiling water
1 1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 C grated Asiago Cheese
3/4 C Sun dried tomatoes – julienne cut
1 C fresh shiitake mushrooms – sliced
1 teas dried basil
1/8 teas crushed red pepper flakes
1 teas fresh rosemary – chopped
1/2 onion – diced
2 garlic cloves – minced
Olive oil
2-3 TBS of pine nuts
Kosher Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Marinade chicken breast in Italian dressing for at least 30 minutes. I just throw them in a gallon bag and pour dressing in and coat them well.
In a large pot, add in 1 TBS olive oil and prosciutto slices. Lightly cook the prosciutto on medium heat until a little crisp and set aside. Once the prosciutto has cooled roughly chop and set aside.
In the same large pot, add in another TBS of olive oil and sauté the onion for a few minutes on medium heat. Add in garlic and sauté for a min.
Add in the white wine and crank up the heat, scraping the bottom of the pot to free all the bits. Boil for a minute and then reduce heat to medium and wine will reduce down.
Add in butter and flour and stir to make a roux. Cook this for around 3 minutes.
Add in chicken broth, heavy cream, rosemary, red pepper flakes, basil, and salt and pepper.
Keep the sauce on low heat while you cook the asparagus, chicken, and pasta.
In a large skillet (I prefer non stick), add in a little olive oil just to coat the pan and add in asparagus. Season with Salt and pepper and saute for 4-5 minutes on medium heat until it is done. I like it to still have a little bite to it so rotate, stir as needed to avoid over cooking. Remove and set aside when done. Once it is cooled, cut it into 1 inch segments.
In the same large skillet that you cooked the asparagus in, add in a little olive oil and the marinated chicken breast. Cook this for 4-5 minutes per side until done. This will vary depending on the thickness. I like the outside to have a nice crust to it, and even lightly charred in some places. Once the chicken is cooked, no longer pink and juices are clear, slice it into strips on the bias. As your chicken is cooking, get a large pot of water boiling for the pasta.
Cook the pasta per package directions. At the end of pasta cooking time, add a ladle of pasta water to the sauce if needed. Drain the pasta and then add the cooked pasta to the sauce.
Add the cooked and sliced chicken, asparagus segments, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped prosciutto, sliced mushrooms to the pasta and sauce.
Toss well to combine all the Kitchen Sink ingredients and coat the pasta with the sauce.
Add in the parmesan cheese and combine. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Pasta will soak up the sauce as it sits so don’t worry if it’s a little saucy at first. Give it a few stirs and keep on low simmer to make sure asparagus and chicken are heated back up.
Garnish each serving with a few pine nuts and grated Asiago cheese.
Enjoy!
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