There’s something extremely invigorating about being a girl (Woman? Lady? Gal? I’ll spare you all my existential quarter-life crisis) and completely embracing PINK. The bar is one such place where so-called “cool” decision making is put under a microscope. Are you ordering the super local, single-batch, no name manly man IPA or the pink, coconut flavored maitai with an umbrella in it?
There comes a point in your life where you’ve been around the block enough times that you know what you do and don’t like and just don’t care about what people think of your drink order anymore. I don’t claim to be completely enlightened when it comes to not caring what people think–I am human after all, despite what some may say–but I do know that a perfectly chilled, pink, rosy, blush-colored glass of rosé is definitely something that I like and definitely something I’m not ashamed of ordering.
And there’s really no reason that rosé shouldn’t be afforded the same respect as a full-bodied cabernet or an excellent dry pinot grigio. Which brings us to the extremely narrow and unexplored world of cooking with rosé.
It seems completely insane that more people aren’t cooking with this delightful summer drink, given that it’s kind of the de facto choice for many a ladies’ night and, yes, bro-tastic summer gatherings. Why wouldn’t you want to enjoy the bliss of a perfectly coordinated plate of food with your glass of rosé?
And so this Penne alla Rosé was born. A deliciously, ever-so-slightly boozy take on Penne alla Vodka, but much lighter and more delicate with the addition of rosé that is, of course, just as good in the light creamy tomato sauce as it is straight out of the bottle.
Add a little seared chicken breast, and you’ve got Penne alla Rosé. It’s decadent, it’s delicious, but, mostly you’ll feel like you’ve unlocked the best kept secret at the intersection of pasta and boozy tomato sauces.
Whether you’re making a well-earned meal after a long Working Girl week in the sweltering city, or you’re a bro looking for a more refined summer dinner companion to your regular “brosé” indulgence, we think you’ll like this Penne alla Rosé!
You’ll need:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup rosé
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- Chopped parsley or basil, to garnish
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel, and season both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
Add the chicken breasts to the pan, allowing them to sear on one side for 6-7 minutes. Flip the chicken and sear on the other side for another 6-7 minutes. Remove the chicken breast from the pan and set aside on a cutting board to rest.
Now, add the penne pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions just until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, to the pan drippings, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Deglaze the pan with the rose and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and allow the wine to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. When the tomatoes have stopped bubbling, stir in the heavy cream.
Slice the chicken, and toss it into the skillet along with the cooked penne.
Stir everything together, and serve with chopped herbs on top.
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup rosé
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- Chopped parsley or basil, to garnish
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel, and season both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken breasts to the pan, allowing them to sear on one side for 6-7 minutes. Flip the chicken and sear on the other side for another 6-7 minutes. Remove the chicken breast from the pan and set aside on a cutting board to rest.
- Now, add the penne pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions just until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, to the pan drippings, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic. Deglaze the pan with the rose and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and allow the wine to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. When the tomatoes have stopped bubbling, stir in the heavy cream.
- Slice the chicken, and toss it into the skillet along with the cooked penne. Stir everything together, and serve with chopped herbs on top.
Gene says
This is something I should try, and probably will. Someone else in the house likes White Zinfandel. We have a LOT if it around and it should work in this dish. Plus, summer brings with it ripe tomatoes in the garden, and basil and parsley. Maybe I’ll even quaff some White Zin with the pasta!
Kaitlin says
Hi Gene, we like how you’re thinkin’ :)
Annie Sun says
What a very romantical yet savory post.
Kaitlin says
This is ready and waiting for Valentine’s Day :)
Tammy says
First, I wanna say that I love this blog. Fantastic recipes, first and foremost, and great photography and really helpful steps. Of the recipes I’ve tried, none of them have let me down (and a few are now in regular rotation), which is really saying something! So please take this next comment as a helpful suggestion, coming from a genuine place of admiration: I think you should adjust the color balance in your photos. Historically I’ve noticed that your photography leans heavily toward the Red spectrum, which is fine, albeit slightly misleading in some cases. But the dish in this particular post looks almost radioactive. Just pull back a little on the red.. the food will still look wonderful! :)
Sarah says
Hi Tammy, thanks for the feedback. I think I can guess why you perceived this photo to be “radioactive”––you’re expecting it to have a very pale pink color, right? Well, actually, we didn’t add quite enough cream to make the dish super pale––it was still kind of a red/orange color because the ratio of tomato to cream was still quite high. I do try to maintain color balance in our photos but I can always try to do better. Thank you.
Gary Castagnola says
You continue to knock it out of the park…
As an amatuer home cook, I read a lot of recipes and food articles on the net. Your site is the only one that provides outstanding recipes and entertains at the same time while giving me a sense of being included in your family.
Thanks again and again and again.
Kaitlin says
Thanks Gary! This comment made us so happy–we really pride ourselves on posting recipes that people will actually cook while taking them along for the ride :) Cheers!
Starr says
First of all, I really love the styling for these photos! Second, yes to ordering drinks with umbrellas! (And plastic swords!) This looks really good, as if I needed an excuse to get rose!
Kaitlin says
Hi Starr, you know what’s up ^_^