Family pasta

Serves 1
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Directions

  1. 1Finely mince the shallots.
  2. 2Finely mince the garlic.
  3. 3Drop the pasta into a pot of boiling water and cook it until it's ready.
  4. 4Grate the Parmesan cheese.
  5. 5Preheat a pan over medium heat and lay the seasoned chicken thighs skin side down.
  6. 6Cook the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crispy, then flip and cook until it reaches 160°F.
  7. 7Remove the cooked chicken from the pan.
  8. 8Drop the heat to medium-low, then add the butter and minced shallots to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes.
  9. 9Add the minced garlic and sauté until the shallots are translucent, which takes around 5 minutes.
  10. 10Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, then gradually stream in the milk while whisking.
  11. 11Add the thyme and bay leaf to the sauce, bring it to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  12. 12Remove the thyme and bay leaf from the sauce.
  13. 13Add the grated cheese to the sauce and whisk it in until melted.
  14. 14Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well.
  15. 15Fold in the spinach just until it wilts.
  16. 16Adjust the salt and add a couple of tablespoons of milk if needed to adjust consistency.
  17. 17Transfer the pasta mixture to a baking dish.
  18. 18Nestle the chicken thighs into the pasta.
  19. 19Sprinkle more cheese on top of the dish.
  20. 20Pop the dish into the oven to reheat the chicken and ensure everything is hot.
  21. 21Finish it off with some chopped parsley and serve.

Ingredients

  • 2 finely minced shallots
  • 5 cloves finely minced garlic
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 0.25 cup flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 3 oz Parmesan
  • chicken thighs
  • 1 handful spinach
  • chopped parsley
  • 0.5 lb pasta shells

Equipment

potknifecutting boardgraterpanspatulawhiskbaking dishtongs

Tips

  • Adding something green like broccoli or spinach to the meal is recommended.
  • The chicken thighs are cooked in a pan to achieve crispy skin and then reheated in the oven with the pasta.
  • Feel free to add more cheese if you prefer a cheesier dish.
  • Adjust the salt and add a couple of tablespoons of milk if needed to adjust consistency before baking.
  • At the restaurant, chicken would be cooked in the oven, but for smaller quantities, pan-frying is suitable.
  • If the recipe calls for flour, you can cook it for 3 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
  • You can be creative with family meals and use leftover ingredients like beef trim to make dishes like Nikujaga.
  • You can also make different pizzas at each station if you have the resources, such as pizza dough from pastry.
  • Add the spinach until it just wilts into the pasta and sauce.
  • You can use whatever cheese you like, or whatever you have, to grate on top of the meal.
  • For the cheese, the chef uses Parmesan.
  • For family meals, the food needs to be quick and taste good.
  • Back at the restaurant, they would make a lot of pasta for family meals.