This recipe is one of my summer standbys. I live in the desert, so anything cool tastes wonderful this time of year.
This is super simple. All you do is get a pan of salted water to boil. Add chicken breasts or tenders, half an onion, some Italian seasoning, and a bay leaf; lower the heat to medium-high. Once it comes back up to a boil, remove the chicken breasts and discard the onion and bay leaf. Bring that water back up to a boil and add half a package of fusilli; cook according to the package directions. Meanwhile, mix together some chopped basil and a half pint of grape tomatoes. Chop up your poached chicken and add it to this mixture. Once the pasta is ready, drain it and rinse it with cool water. Add it to the chicken mixture along with some pistachios or pine nuts, whichever you prefer, olive oil, and seasoned salt to taste. If it's still warm, chill it. If it's cool, add some crumbled feta cheese and chill.
The reason I poach the chicken is, if you boil it, it gets way too rubbery. When you poach it, the breasts tend to come out way more tender. The reason I add onions and herbs is because poaching can result in a slightly bland meat. By adding seasoning during the process, we add flavor via infusion.
I prefer to use pine nuts with this, but Will is not fond of them, so I use pistachios instead. Either way is very tasty.
Because this takes all of about a half hour, it is great to take to potlucks, and quickly becomes the hit of the party. It also is great if your kids are picky or if you have a spouse who comes home late or just a crazy existence in general because there is no worries with reheating it.
Will is practically bottomless with this recipe. This time I was lucky that he had a late lunch, because usually there are no leftovers.
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