Chicken Penne with Asparagus and Peas is an easy dinner that comes together really quickly. Just keep a couple of defrosted chicken breasts in your fridge and a couple pantry items on hand, and you’re set in 20 minutes!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 541kcal
Author: Sarah
Ingredients
2chicken breasts
salt and pepper
butter or olive oil
12oz.penne pasta
1cupfresh or frozen peas
1bunch young asparagus(trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces)
2/3cupcream(can substitute half and half or milk; definitely use cream or half and half if you prefer a creamy consistency)
1egg
2/3cupParmesan cheese
½cupbasil(chopped)
1/4cuptoasted pine nuts(optional)
Instructions
Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a couple tablespoons of butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken on both sides until cooked through. Slice the chicken into long strips and set aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. When it’s nearly cooked, add the peas to the boiling water for the last 90 seconds or so (they should still be bright green!). Reserve a little pasta water for later in case you need to loosen up the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking (it’s important that you do this all at the same time), add a couple more tablespoons of oil or butter to the skillet you used to cook the chicken and add the asparagus and garlic. Cook for a minute, season with salt and pepper, and then pour in the wine. Let everything reduce down for another minute. Turn off the heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk or half and half with the egg and a little more salt and pepper. At this point, your pan should be rather warm, but not so hot that it will scramble the eggs. Add the creamy egg mixture to the pan along with the hot pasta, peas, and half of your Parmesan and half of your basil. If all goes well, the egg will give the pasta a smooth, silky texture without scrambling, and the heat from the pasta will cook it all through. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of your reserved pasta water. Stir in the chicken. Garnish with the rest of the Parmesan and basil, and the pine nuts, if using.