Hello everybody! I have been off for the last week which was very nice, but I have to say that it is good to be back. And what a doozy to come back on! Chicken and ham penne -- what's not to love?
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This recipe came together in about 20 minutes from start to finish and will satisfy any appetite. The portion I made was enough for two people, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled with little additional time. This would be very good with a side salad, though I just ate it as it is.
Okay, let's cut the preamble, and get to the point. This is how to make chicken and ham penne.
8:05 pm - Pots on Pots
I started this bad boy at 8:05 which I know is pretty late but don't judge. Step one is to get the pot on for the pasta. I filled a medium pot with hot water, which I added salt to and put it on the stove on high.
With the pasta water on I also put the frying pan on the stove on medium-high heat. That way, by the time I cut the chicken, the pan would be hot and ready with no time wasted. Getting the pan on early is key -- I talk about why in my post on preheating your pan. That brings me to step two...
8:07 pm - Chicken
I used one chicken breast which along with the ham is more than enough for two people, cost-effective too. I thinly sliced it. That's it.
With the chicken breast sliced and the frying pan hot, I added 1 tablespoon of canola, along with the chicken and got down to business.
My pan looks a little beat up because of a dinner I did over the weekend. I scrub and I scrub and it just won't come off. I'll have to get some steelwool to make it shine.
8:08 pm - Cleaning the Board
As you probably noticed I cut raw chicken on my cutting board. So, before I went any further I took a minute or two to wash my board and my knife.
Keep it clean people!
8:10 pm - Going Ham
With my knife and board once again clean and ready to use it was time to get down with the slice and dice. First up, the ham. I had a nice little piece of ham, about 2 inches squared. I diced it into small evenly sized pieces then set it aside.
With the ham diced and out of the way, it was onion time. This recipe doesn't need much onion and I already had a quarter of an onion cut in the fridge so that was what I used. Waste not want not. I diced it up.
By the time the ham and onion were diced, the chicken was browned. That meant I could add the newly diced ham and onion into the pan.
I should also say that I was intermittently stirring and flipping the chicken while I was doing my dicing.
8:12 - Garlic
Chicken, ham, and onion in the pan. It's time to get down with some garlic. Two cloves to be exact. I cut the root end off the cloves, gave them a little crush, removed the peel and thinly sliced them. That's it.
At this point the pasta water was boiling so, I added the penne into the pot and gave it a stir (I'm using gluten-free penne).
I added the garlic into the pan and cooked it for a minute. Then I added in the wine and cooked it until about half of it had evaporated.
8:18 pm - Peas
Between cutting the garlic, adding the pasta to the water, adding the garlic to the sauce, cooking it for a minute, deglazing with the white wine, and then cooking it down about six minutes had gone by in total. It was now 8:18 and time to add the peas in. I used a handful of frozen peas.
With the peas in the pan, I started picking some thyme. The trick here is to grab the sprig right at the top with one hand and run the fingers of your other hand straight down the stem. This should strip the leaves off fairly easily. Then just give it a quick chop.
8:20 - Cream
The peas had cooked a little bit which meant it was time to add a bit of cream and some salt and pepper. I cooked the cream down for about 2 minutes, added the thyme and then removed the pan from the heat. This kind of quick cream sauce making technique is one of the most useful things to have in your back pocket for weeknight dinners.
8:22 pm - Pasta
At 8:22 I drained the pasta and added it into the sauce which I then tossed together. I finished the dish with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. I tasted it, adjusted the seasoning with salt and pepper, and just like that, dinner was done.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those meals that proves you don't need a lot of time or a lot of ingredients to eat well. Seventeen minutes from start to finish, and it's packed with flavour. Once you plate it, add a bit more parm and a bit more pepper, and enjoy.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ea Chicken Breast, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Diced Ham
- ¼ cup Diced Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic, sliced
- ¼ cup Frozen Peas
- ½ cup White Wine
- ½ cup Whipping Cream
- 3 sprigs Thyme, leaves removed and chopped
- 2 servings Penne Pasta
- ¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat.
- Add in the oil and chicken.
- Cook until the chicken is browned on all sides.
- Add in the ham and onion and cook until onion softens.
- Put the garlic in the pan and cook for 1 minute.
- Deglaze with the white wine and cook until half of the wine has evaporated.
- Add in the peas and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour the cream into the pan and add the thyme.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta into the pan along with the parmesan cheese.
- Toss to coat, taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
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