Pasta Puttanesca with Chicken

I have a friend I’ve known since high school. We are opposite in many ways but we both love to cook! However we approach cooking quite differently. I tend to use a recipe at least the first couple of times to make it before I make some changes. Laur on the other hand grew up learning how to cook from her grandmother and knows exactly what foods and spices will go together. I’m usually the one writing down her creations so I can try it again later. I’ve never had a meal prepared by Laur that wasn’t absolutely delicious! This delicious Pasta Puttanesca with Chicken was such an example.

Recently Laur and her daughter spent New Year’s Eve with our family. They decided to stay a few extra hours and prepare dinner for us on New Year’s Day. This is where having a well-stocked pantry comes in hand. Laur looked through my pantry, asked if I had certain items and created this version of Pasta Puttanesca with Chicken. It was delicious! Hopefully I wrote the recipe down correctly because I want to share it with you! Everything in the recipe I had on hand either in my pantry or freezer! Talk about eating well from your pantry!

Pasta Puttanesca with Chicken

Ingredients:

Thin spaghetti, cooked until al dente

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 small onions chopped
8 black olives, halved
3 Tbsp capers
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
½ small jar of sliced pepper rings
1 can canellini beans drained
½ cup chopped orange peppers
2 lg. cans of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 Tbsp fresh parsley
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp powdered oregano
1 ½ cup flour

3 eggs
¼ cup freshly ground asiago cheese

6 small chicken breasts, boned and cut into chunks

Directions:

Combine the parsley, pepper, salt and flour. In a separate bowl combine the eggs and asiago cheese. Dredge the chicken in the flour and then in the egg mixture. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the chicken until lightly browned, set aside.

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the oil garlic and onions. Sauté until the onions are tender.

Add the olives, capers, peppers and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat and simmer just for 8 minutes.

I never knew it but this sauce is named for the ladies of the night. They would place pots of it in their windows to tempt men into the bordellos. I loved it because it was so fast and easy to make and a bit spicy, a change from the normal Italian spaghetti sauce I make.