Pasta Primavera with Chicken
Pasta primavera is a fancy way of saying “Spring pasta” since primavera translates from Spanish to mean Spring. This is a fitting title for this dish, as its vibrant colors and fresh vegetables are a refreshing delight to the spring months. This is a sweet little dinner to have outside on the sunporch or to eat next to an open window with the breeze and sunshine pouring in.
There are few things in life better than homemade pasta. Luckily it is easy to make, too, meaning this recipe can be fresh, colorful, and full of homemade goodness all at once. Jeff suggests you avoid using store bought pasta if you can and making your own, because the homemade pasta really brings out the brightness of this recipe. Making your own pasta is fairly simple if you have the right tools. Be warned however, you may find yourself absentmindedly eating the pasta until they have to roll you away from the pasta press.
Both the peas and the asparagus in this recipe were blanched, making them al dente. They both popped nicely as they were bitten down on, reminding the taste testers of the freshness of just picked vegetables at a farmer’s market. The chicken is complimented nicely by the fresh basil Jeff used.
Serve this with just a dash of parmesan cheese and eat immediately. It is wonderful warm, but it’s pretty good after it’s cooled down a bit, too. Ask any one of our taste testers who shoveled a room temperature plate full of this into their mouths faster than a vacuum cleaner. There were several of them.
- 24 oz pasta -we used homemade pasta
- 1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1-1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-1/2 pieces
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Shallots
- 1/2 cup pearl onions, peeled and left whole
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 1-1/2 inch matchsticks
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp Naples Seasoning
- In a large pot, heat 6 quarts of water. In a smaller pot, heat additional water.
- Add Naples seasoning, salt, and pepper to chicken pieces. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add chicken to skillet and cook until browned and an internal temperature of 1 Set aside.
- Add shallots and pearl onions to skillet, and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic to skillet and cook for 1 minute. If needed, add some broth to skillet. Add carrots to skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Add broth and cook for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in the small pot of water, blanch the asparagus and peas for 1 minute and drain. Add to the skillet. Add chicken back into pan. Add basil and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add pasta to large pot of water and cook for 1-3 minutes. This is for fresh pasta. If using boxed pasta, you’ll want to cook it on the beginning of the recipe and hold in the pot.
- Drain pasta and toss with vegetables and chicken. Garnish with cheese and additional fresh basil. Serve!
