Rotisserie Chicken and Greens Pasta
Rotisserie chicken, with its browned, crisp skin and juicy meat, provides a great leg up when there’s no time to roast one yourself. Add some pre-cut greens and it becomes the base for this rich, nourishing pasta sauce, which comes together while the noodles cook. Although convenient, rotisserie chicken meat can be underseasoned, so this recipe calls for seasoning it more. Look for baby cooking greens or chopped greens, like kale, spinach, chard or escarole, which will melt easily into the jammy onions and garlic. Fresh lemon juice rounds out this pasta, making it bright; cream is optional but highly endorsed. A sprinkle of Parmesan finishes this dish with even more depth and umami.
Ingredients
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1pound rigatoni, penne rigate, penne or ziti
- 1small rotisserie chicken (about 1 3/4 pounds) or about 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 2 packed cups)
- 5large garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1cup chicken stock (see Tip)
- 1/2cup heavy cream (optional)
- 8 to 10ounces baby kale or spinach, or chopped chard or other cooking greens
- 1juicy lemon, zested then halved
- Parmesan, for serving
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt and cook the pasta until al dente, then drain pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, prep the chicken: Separate the skin from the meat and separate the meat from the bones; discard the bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Season the chicken meat with 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and salt to taste. Gather the skin in a mound on a cutting board; slice it thinly then finely chop it and set aside.
Place a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted and bubbling, add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and pressing often with a spatula or wooden spoon to help them cook down faster, until very soft, translucent and almost jammy with golden brown edges, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and mustard and cook until very fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes.
Turn the heat up to high, add 3/4 cup stock and the heavy cream (if using) and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the pasta, seasoned chicken and the skin. In small handfuls, add the greens, stirring until wilted and tender. Turn off the heat, add the lemon zest and juice the lemon halves over the top; stir again. Add the remaining 1/4 cup stock if more sauciness is desired.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately, with more pepper and salt to taste.
Notes
If you don’t have chicken stock on hand, reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and use it instead.
Nutrition
- Info
- Trans Fat: 0 gramsFat: 24 gramsCalories: 686Saturated Fat: 11 gramsUnsaturated Fat: 11 gramsSodium: 913 milligramsSugar: 6 gramsFiber: 6 gramsCarbohydrate: 68 gramsProtein: 47 grams
Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023870-rotisserie-chicken-and-greens-pasta