Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour
2lbs boneless chicken breasts (sliced / cut)
1 medium sized shallot (minced)
4 – 6 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/2 lb diced pancetta
1 cup vodka
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup heavy cream
28oz can of whole peeled plum tomatoes (pulsed in a food processor)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1lb cooked pasta. (Penne for traditional, but rigatoni works good too)
Procedure
Pour 1 cup of quality vodka into a glass bowl. Add 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes to the vodka, and let sit for at least 30 min (while you prep the rest of the ingredients)
Trim the chicken breasts, and cut them into pieces that are larger than bite-size, but smaller than whole breasts.
Heat the oil in large pan over medium – high heat. Once to temprature, brown the chicken in the pan till about 60% cooked. Remove and set aside. Add garlic and shallot to the pan, and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add chopped pancetta to the pan, and saute for another 2 or 3 minutes, until the fat starts to render. Add 2 Tbsp tomato paste, salt, and pepper to the pan, and mix evenly. Saute for another 2 minutes until the paste starts to thin. Add the chopped parsley and basil to the pan, and saute for another minute or two. Pour 1 cup of vodka mixed with crushed red pepper to the pan to deglaze, and let cook until the smell of the alcohol is mostly evaporated (about 3 – 5 minutes). Stir in the pulsed tomato sauce, and mix evenly. Reduce the heat to medium – low, and simmer covered, for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, bring a large pot of water for the pasta to boil. Raise the heat for the Vodka sauce back to medium, and stir in 1 cup of heavy cream to the sauce. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese to the sauce, and mix evenly. Once you add pasta to the boiling water, add the 60% cooked chicken to the sauce and stir to evenly combine. As the pasta cooks, continue to stir the sauce occasionally so the chicken finishes cooking evenly, and the sauce does not burn.
When the pasta is Al Dente (usually about 8 or 9 minutes for 1 lb of Penne) drain the pasta thoroughly, and add to the sauce pan. Continue to stir and cook for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, to finish the pasta in the pan and infuse with sauce.
Serve with freshly chopped basil and grated cheese over the pasta.