Penne, Chicken and Mushroom Cacciatori

The Recycled Cook

Penne, Chicken and Mushroom Cacciatori  

Nothing quite as satisfying as a good pasta dish, for this one I used Penne pasta or quills due to their pen like shape.

 Cacciatori means hunter so this is basically hunter's chicken and mushroom although you could leave out the chicken and have it as a vegetarian dish.

 This sauce will work with any kind of pasta but Penne was what I had readily available. Although I prefer fresh pasta or home made egg pasta I try and keep some dried pasta available too.

As always these dishes it is down  what you have left over in the fridge and freezer. I found a chicken breast in the freezer, some mushrooms, celery, spring onions half a yellow pepper and some baby tomatoes in the fridge so built the dish around those.

 The first thing to do was to defrost the chicken breast thoroughly, season it well with salt, black pepper and dried oregano, rub with garlic oil then roast it in the oven on 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. This I set aside for later.

 When I was ready to cook the dish I fried off the mushrooms in butter and garlic oil, so that they were just cooked but still firm. Next I added the chopped spring onions, discarding the outer wilted leaves.

 When these were just wilted I added the chopped yellow pepper and the halved baby tomatoes.

 To turn the mix into a sauce I added some chopped tinned Italian tomatoes that were left over, a cup and a half of Passata, a little Tomato paste and 4 garlic cloves crushed and chopped.

 You could loosen this up with some vegetable stock to if you like, all matter of taste as is the seasoning.

I wanted some bite to this dish so added two finely chopped Apache chillis, seeds and all plus a sprinkling of smoked Pimienton (spicy paprika). 
Once happy with the sauce, (keep tasting always but no double dipping) I added the chicken which I chopped into bite sized pieces, This shouldn't be over cooked in the oven as it will cook on in the sauce.

 Simmer that until the chicken is cooked through and you are happy it is not still pink, frozen chicken needs cooking well for safety.  

 While, the sauce is simmering slowly bring a saucepan of salted and oiled water to the boil. Chuck in the dried pasta according to the stated cooking time, this will vary depending on the kind of pasta but will be around 12 to 16 minutes. I used Penne which is quite thick so 16 minutes required, a guide only
as hobs vary so test it before serving.


 Once cooked,drain thoroughly and toss in a little olive oil to stop it sticking together. Serve immediately with the sauce and a garnish of your choice, I used home grown pea fronds but flat leaf parsley or Coriander will do fine.

 Some flat bread or garlic bread on the side supplements the dish nicely. Parmesan shavings are another optional addition to the dish.

Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx

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