There can't be many more romantic cities than Venice. The Grand Canal lined with pastel-coloured palazzi, gondoliers singing serenades at sunset, the majesty of the Piazza San Marco... And let's not forget the delicious food! Sweet-savoury combinations are a Venetian speciality and they inspired Mimi to create this chicken pasta dish. We think you'll love the addition of raisins, honey and nuts.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1
Echalion Shallot
1
Garlic Clove
150
Green Beans
20
Walnuts
(Contains Nuts May contain Peanut, Sesame, Nuts)
1
Flat Leaf Parsley
260
Diced Chicken Thigh
40
Raisins
15
Honey
200
Penne Pasta
½
Chicken Stock Powder
112.5
Creme Fraiche
(Contains Milk)
200
Reserved Pasta Water
Put a large saucepan of water with a pinch of salt on to boil for the pasta. Halve, peel and chop the shallot into small pieces. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Trim the green beans and chop them into thirds. Roughly chop the walnuts. Roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all).
Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season it with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 mins. Turn the heat down to medium. Stir in the raisins and honey. Cook until the chicken is browned and caramelised, another 2-3 mins. Important: The chicken is cooked when it is no longer pink in the middle. Take off the heat and remove the chicken and raisins to a bowl. Keep the pan - we'll use it later!
Meanwhile, add the penne to your pan of boiling water. Cook for 3 mins. Add the green beans and cook 4 mins more until both are 'al dente'. TIP: ‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle. Once cooked, drain the pasta and beans in a colander but reserve the cooking water. Pop them back in the pan and drizzle with a little olive oil to stop them sticking together.
Put the (now empty) frying pan back on medium heat and drizzle with oil. When it is hot, add the shallot. Cook for 5 mins. Then add the garlic and three-quarters of the parsley. Cook for 1 minute more. Then add the chicken stock pot. Pour in the reserved pasta cooking water (amount specified in the ingredient list) and stir together.
Continue cooking the sauce for 3-4 mins. Add back the chicken and raisins and cook for 3 more mins, or until the chicken is piping hot. Turn off the heat and stir through the crème fraîche. Combine your sauce with the pasta and beans and stir everything together.
Serve the Venetian chicken pasta in bowls, sprinkled with the remaining parsley, the cheese and the walnuts. Enjoy!