# Better Cacio e Pepe with Chicken

This dish features marinated chicken thighs, blanched greens, al dente pasta, and a creamy Pecorino Romano sauce.

- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Drink
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- chicken thighs
- lemon juice
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- dried parsley
- oregano
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- rapini
- salt
- garlic cloves
- Pecorino Romano
- pasta water
- minced garlic
- red pepper flakes
- black pepper
- al dente pasta
- 2 knobs of butter
- cheese

## Instructions

1. Marinate chicken thighs with lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
2. Sear the chicken in a hot pan until it has color on both sides.
3. Finish cooking the chicken in an oven or air fryer until cooked through.
4. Blanch rapini (or broccoli) in salted boiling water for about a minute.
5. Crush and finely mince some garlic cloves.
6. Grate a generous amount of Pecorino Romano.
7. Reserve some pasta water and allow it to cool slightly.
8. Combine the reserved pasta water with Pecorino Romano using an immersion blender to create a creamy sauce.
9. In the same pan used for chicken, sauté minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
10. Add the blanched rapini, some al dente pasta, and a couple of knobs of butter to the pan.
11. Pour in the creamy Pecorino sauce and toss until well combined.
12. Top with even more cheese and enjoy.

## Equipment

- oven
- air fryer
- hot pan
- immersion blender

## Tips

- You can use broccoli instead of rapini for the greens.
- Allow pasta water to cool slightly before adding it to the Pecorino Romano.

## Source

- Original video: https://youtube.com/shorts/TtidQxuNyvs?si=BOIY0c3TLYjoM05I
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/cb837740-46b2-45b5-9c5b-763c27aa638f
- Extracted: 2026-01-05

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt