One thing I’ve been trying to do is become more organized. It was the underlying reason that my early retirement to-do list was topped with items like, Organize and backup wedding photos, Inventory pantry and deep freezer, and Clean out guest room closet. Actually, my lack of organization pretty much was the reason there was a to-do list in the first place.
I’m a little bit of chaos and a lot of funny, rolled into one. The ability to fire a witty comeback or find innuendo in the most innocent of comments doesn’t make up for the fact that I misplaced my running shoes for a week. Or the fact that I spend 5 minutes every single day hunting down my “lost” car keys. So maybe it’s a lot of chaos and a little bit of funny… after all, we’re probably never as funny as we think we are 😉
If you’ve ever seen me move around the kitchen, you know that it doesn’t just stop with keys and shoes. When I’m done cooking, it looks like my kitchen cabinets exploded. Pots, pans, mixing bowls, several cutting boards, every wooden spoon and spatula in the house strewn about. Pure chaos. And two dishwasher loads later, it’s time for bed.
Perhaps I can claim illness? Maybe I suffer from CCS, Culinary Chaos Syndrome. Maybe I should seek out a support group for my symptoms:
I usually cannot blame my messiness on a recipe or methodology. True, some are more involved than others, but mostly it’s all me. Looking back, I can usually pinpoint each misstep along the way – and there’s plenty of opportunity for reflection, waiting on the dishwasher to finish so I can run a second load.
But when a dish is as tasty as tonight’s dinner was, there’s no debating over whether it was worth the extra load of dishes or not. Because it was. And the best part? There are enough leftovers for 2 more nights.
Linguine with Chicken, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
A creamy, hearty one-bowl pasta dinner.
Ingredients
- 1lb linguine
- 2 chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 14.5 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
- 1 14.5 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup chicken broth, more as needed
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
- 2 Tbsp chopped basil, plus additional for garnish
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain (reserving 1/2 cup pasta water) and place in a large bowl.
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large sauce pan until hot. Liberally salt and pepper the sides of the chicken and place in the pan to sear. Flip when the chicken gets nice and browned, 3-4 minutes each side. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add remaining olive oil and butter to pan. Add onions and red pepper flakes to pan and cook until the onions are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Slice the chicken breasts into strips. Add chicken, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes to the pan. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through, and then remove from heat.
- Pour sauce over the top of the pasta. Toss with the Parmesan, basil, and parsley until coated. Add a couple of splashes of pasta water - or if you forget to reserve it, some chicken broth - if you need to thin the sauce a bit.
Notes
Yields: 6 servings
Estimated time: 30 minutes
I have tried a couple of PW’s recipes, and they were a hit. I like that you adapted this one, which I’m now definitely going to try.
Can you tell me, once the chicken is browned and set aside, do you then slice it and incorporate it into the pasta, or what do you do?
Thanks!
Yep! I left that step out but fixed it – thanks for the catch!
Delicious! I’m with you on creating a huge mess in the kitchen. As I finish my meal of red wine braised short ribs and cheesy polenta I’m dreading cleaning up the kitchen. Luckily my other half has said he will clean up for me:)
I was just thinking this looked just like something I saw on pioneer woman! They both look delicious it might just be a sign.
I have to add one to your bullet list of kitchen disasters, that I, ahem, just did.
– Trying to fit oven ready lasagna noodles in a pan by breaking them over the clean floor. My socks are now full of little lasagna noodle bitties.
(Hopefully when it comes out of the oven it will be worth it!)
I definitely struggle with CCS. Can we join the support group together?
It’s SO nice to know I’m not alone. I have a teeny tiny apartment kitchen, and it always looks like it exploded on itself when I finish one simple dinner.
I will be the first to sign up for your CCS support group. I am definitely a disaster in the kitchen and very disorganized. I love to keep up with your blog and always look forward to your witty posts and scrumptious recipes.
Sign me up, too. My boyfriend always wonders how I can dirty SO many dishes/utensils when making even the simplest of meals. He COUNTS them and reports to me. haha I must say, he is so generous as to always do the dishes though.
Holy S I am so looking forward to making this! And you’d better believe it will be served in a bowl as big as my head.
Hehe this is funny. I am totally the same way but Michael comes along behind me, cleaning as I go. He HATES a mess. It’s kind of amusing actually 🙂 On another note, we made a similar dish the other night – will be posting soon!
My husband has a funny story about the first time I made a real meal for him after we moved in together which ends we me announcing “I made chicken!” and him noticing the trail of chaos and mounds of dirty dishes I created in the process. And this was before we had a dishwasher! Even to this day, he’ll come up to me as I’m getting finished with a recipe and ask if he can start to clean up behind me.
I too suffer from Culinary Chaos Syndrome. My husband has revolted against cleaning up the kitchen after me. He claims cruel and unusual punishment.
Yum! That looks so delicious! I love pasta and can’t wait to try it out.
Oh how I understand…both my Hubby & me suffer from CCS. We are getting better about it though. I get so excited and am completely focused on the task at hand while I’m cooking that I forget to try and clean up after myself. Then low and behold we’ve finished an amazing dinner, had amazing wine and then there’s a not so amazing looking kitchen waiting to be cleaned.
Made this tonight and combined yours and PWs recipe. Great combo. Liked the sun dried tomatoes in it.
Forget the support group, it doesn’t work for those of us with a terminal disease. Sadly, there is no cure. Keep having fun in the kitchen, it’s all worth it!
Love the dish! Artichokes and SD tomatoes are two of my favorite things. Love your blog, too cute!
~LeslieMichele
I made this delectable dish last night but omitted the chicken and added jumbo shrimp. It was a “Gustatorial Delight of Regal Dimensions”.
One of my girlfriends cheerfully cleaned up my messy galley because she claimed the meal was well worth the cleaning……
Limoncello topped it all off.
MMMMMMMMMm mmmmmmmmmm good ! ! !
Bobby B Lo
This dish had my husband at first bite. He’s always skeptical when I try something new, but this one is a keeper. This recipe is so versatile you can modify it some to suit your taste. Love Love Love it! I cooked the chicken longer than suggested because it wasn’t done inside. I carmalized the onions a little and used less pepper flakes (personal taste). I drained and “rinsed” the artichokes and I added a small can of portabella mushrooms (drained and rinsed). I used regular cream not the heavy to make it less rich. Didn’t have fresh herbs so used a pinch of dried oregeno. It didn’t need any extra salt or pepper in my opinion. So glad I came across this…it is a keeper! Great comfort food dish and I would serve to company with a big salad, good bread and of course…a bottle of wine.