Penne and Chicken with Vodka Sauce

I have been very blessed to have children that love to cook. My oldest daughter made this delicious dinner for us when she was visiting recently. It was an adaptation of a Weight Watchers recipe she had found online. The original Penne and Chicken with Vodka Sauce recipe did not include chicken. I imagine it would freeze well but it did not last long enough for us to try!

Penne and Chicken with Vodka Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
½ cup chopped shallots
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp parsley, minced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 oz vodka
1/8  tsp salt for cooking pasta
12 oz uncooked penne (I used whole wheat)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
20 leaves of fresh basil cut into ribbons
1-2 pound of boneless chicken, cut into cubes

Directions:

In a large skillet cook the chicken in 1 tablespoon of butter until well done.

Remove and keep warm. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions and drain. Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. Add butter, shallots and garlic and sauté until the shallots start to caramelize.

Add parsley, salt and pepper and stir.

Add the tomato paste and mix to form a paste. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add the vodka; continue stirring for about five minutes more. Add cream to the tomato sauce, reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and stir until well coated. Add pasta to the sauce and mix to coat, top with the basil and serve.

Makes about 6 servings.