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Chicken with Broccoli Rabe and Mushrooms
When I invented this recipe, it was cold, and we were watching the Olympics. I was envisioning some kind of rustic, European-inn sort of dinner. They love all kinds of meats and sausages in Northern Europe, and, well, we don't each much red meat, and pork sausage was not on the menu. I had chicken breasts and chicken sausages with apples (from B.J.'s or Trader Joe's) in the freezer...sooo with inspiration from the Italian Olympics and supplies from our freezer we wound up with this dish.

Please read the whole recipe before you start, it will help you to prepare ahead to make this recipe easily.

Prepare the chicken

Combine the following ingredients:

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut into fingers
  • 2 chicken sausage links with apple, sliced thin on an angle
set aside.

Prepare the base of the dish

Cut in half then slice thin

  • 1 large onion
set aside.

  • ½ lb. fresh mushrooms sliced or 3 oz. dried mushrooms reconstituted according to package directions
  • 3 or 4 large garlic cloves cut in half or minced (depending upon whether you want to eat the garlic or just flavor the dish)
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
Start the garlic in a cold pan with cold oil. Heat slowly and cook on the lowest heat 10 minutes.

Add the sliced onions to the pan, cook slowly (if you have the time) to caramelize.

Add sliced mushrooms to the onions, cook another few minutes.

Add the sausage slices, they will brown on the edges.
Remove from pan.

Sprinkle the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper to taste and 2 Tbsp. Wondra Flour or all-purpose flour.

Sauté chicken remembering not to move the chicken until it gets golden on the bottom and moves easily. If it sticks it will tear and be a mess and dried out. Remove chicken from pan.

Prepare the sauce and finish the dish

To deglaze the pan add

  • ½ c. white wine
  • ¼ c. dry vermouth
  • 1 c. chicken broth
Scrape all the browned bits up off the pan.

To the pan add

  • ½ tsp. Italian herbs
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian parsley
Cook on low heat about 15 minutes to really get the most from the dried herbs.

Just before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add to the pot ¾ lb. of broccoli rabe that has been trimmed. Cook about 90 seconds.

Remove the broccoli rabe from the water (I use a "spider" or a slotted spoon) and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.

Bring the water back to the full boil and add ¾ lb. spaghetti, fettucini, or angel hair pasta. Cook a few minutes less than the package directs. When ready to serve, add all of the dish's parts to the sauce including the pasta. Taste for salt and pepper, add about 1/2 c. of the pasta water and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice.

Toss together in the pan until very hot. Serve immediately on heated plates.

Serves 3 to 4 healthy eaters.

Notes:

  1. If you do not have or do not want to use wine and/or vermouth, just use chicken broth.
  2. This recipe will work fine even without the sausage or a different kind of sausage.
  3. Do not skip blanching the broccoli rabe. It will be bitter and could spoil the dish. The kids will hate it.
  4. You can do most of the steps of this dinner ahead of time, up to the cooking of the broccoli rabe and pasta.

    5. A Cookie Lady Recipe

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