Chicken breast with basil cream sauce on fresh pasta

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 700 g tomatoes, chopped, fresh or from the can
• 1 large bell pepper(s), red
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 tbsp, heaped tomato paste
• 100 g Parmesan, e.g. Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
• 1 bunch of basil
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shot of vermouth, e.g. Cinzano, or white wine
• 250 ml cream
• 125 g durum wheat semolina
• 75 g wheat flour type 405
• 2 eggs
• Salt
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• Paprika powder, sweet
• Chili flakes or chili powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 10 minutes

When it comes to the time specifications, please note that you will need a total of around 1 hour 30 minutes. However, you won’t have any downtime here, as you can prepare the sauce/chicken while the dough is resting, for example, and then process the pasta dough while the chicken is in the oven. Ingredients for the pasta: Makes 2 servings = approx. 400g after cooking. Note: If you don’t feel like making your own pasta or don’t have a pasta machine, it’s still delicious using ready-made pasta! I wouldn’t go for the cheapest pasta here, though. Sift durum wheat semolina and flour onto a work surface and make a well in the middle. Add a good pinch of salt and eggs to the well. Carefully scoop flour over the egg from the sides and knead everything into a smooth dough (it’s quite messy at first because it all sticks to your fingers, just keep going until the dough forms). Wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for an hour. While the pasta dough is resting in the fridge, prepare the sauce and the chicken. First, pat the chicken breasts dry with a kitchen towel and season with a generous pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika. Adding 1-2 drops of olive oil helps the seasonings spread evenly and adhere well to the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the meat, and sear it on both sides (about 5-6 minutes per side). Remove from the pan and let it rest in a casserole dish. For the sauce, reduce the heat to low to medium and sauté the finely chopped onions and garlic in the chicken’s oil until translucent (be careful with the heat; the garlic must not burn, otherwise it will become bitter). Add the tomato paste so that it roasts slightly and develops flavor. Before the garlic burns, deglaze with a generous splash of vermouth and simmer for a few minutes until the liquid is almost gone. Then add the chopped tomatoes and bell peppers and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Preheat oven (top/bottom heat 180°C), finely grate the Parmesan and mix 2/3 of the Parmesan with the cream into the tomato sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika (and optionally chili flakes for a little extra spice). Finely chop the basil, except for one stalk, and add it to the sauce. Add everything to the casserole dish with the chicken and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, the dough should have spent an hour in the fridge. Now roll out the dough on a well-floured work surface (approx. 8 mm thick) and then cut into wide strips. Take the first strip (cover the rest with the film again to prevent it from drying out) and roll it through the pasta machine (or use a rolling pin) in steps of 8 mm, 6 mm, 4 mm, and 2 mm. Then turn the thin sheets of pasta through the tagliatelle attachment and place the finished pasta loosely on a board dusted with plenty of flour (the flour is important to prevent the pasta from sticking together). When all the pasta is done, boil it in hot, salted water for 3-4 minutes, then remove it from the water. A little oil should be poured over the pasta at the end to prevent it from sticking together. Remove the casserole dish from the oven after 25 minutes, season the sauce again if necessary, serve, and sprinkle with a little more Parmesan and basil.