Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Chicken pasta carbonara over kale

I'm in love.
Really.  I discovered kale a few weeks ago.
I made a kale smoothie, and after my normal 10 mile bike ride, I was feeling so good, I biked another 10.  All because of kale.
I was trying to find something my kids would like tonight and was looking around the Pioneer Woman blog, and saw her recipe for kale.  I hadn't tried it her way (with lots of garlic in the frying pan), and I LOVED it.
The following is a combination of a couple of her recipes, with a few twists of my own.  Yum.  I'll be making this one a lot.



12 ounces, weight
 Bowtie Pasta (farfalle)
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, chopped
 Salt And Pepper, to taste
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
3/4 cups Low sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Half-and-half
3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
 Low Sodium Chicken Broth, As Needed For Thinning
3/4 cups Parmesan Shavings Or Grated Parmesan
1 t. nutmeg
3-5 strips cooked Bacon
Olive oil
3 cups kale

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until deep golden brown on both sides and done in the middle. Remove from the skillet, and set aside.
Add additional 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet, followed by 2 minced garlic cloves. Stir the garlic around the pan to avoid burning, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in broth, then let it bubble up and reduce for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, cream, and extra salt and pepper and nutmeg, whisking constantly until it's all combined. Allow liquid to heat up and thicken for a few minutes. If it gets too thick, you may thin it with a little chicken broth.
When the sauce looks good, remove it from the heat. Add Parmesan to the pan, then throw the hot pasta right on top of it. Toss it a bit. Add the chicken and continue tossing until it's all combined. Again, if it gets too gloppy, splash in a little broth (you may return the pan to low heat if it needs it.)
Meanwhile, In another pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and add remaining 3 minced garlic cloves. Stir until fragrant, then add kale.  Move kale around pan until cooked - this should only take a couple of minutes.  Salt to taste. 
Place kale on plate, and chicken and pasta directly on top of kale.  Crumble bacon over pasta and serve immediately!

Posted by Picasa

No comments:

Post a Comment