Sicilian Chicken Pasta Recipes

SPICY ITALIAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Use a small knife to prick 5 or so gashes into the skin of the chicken. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.
• Place chicken skin side down in a cold large non stick skillet, then turn stove onto medium high. As it heats up, the fat under the skin will start to melt through the holes in the skin.
• Cook for 4 - 5 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy. Turn the chicken and cook the other side for 3 minutes.
• Remove chicken onto a plate, discard fat (don't scrape the pan) then return to the stove.
• Add oil, garlic and onion. Cook for 1 minute, then add capsicum. Cook for 2 minutes then add wine. Bring to a simmer and stir, scraping the pan to get those golden bits mixed in.
• Once most of the wine is evaporated and it doesn't smell winey anymore, add the tomato, water and pepper flakes. Stir, bring to a simmer, adjust heat so it's bubbling energetically but not rapidly (and not slowly).
• After 5 minutes (or so), stir through olives and capers. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper.
• Then place chicken into the sauce, being careful not to submerge the skin. Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle over parsley. Serve with crusty bread, or use half the sauce to toss through / pour over pasta and the other half to serve with chicken (see photos in post).

SICILIAN LEMON CHICKEN WITH RAISIN-TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak the raisins in warm water until they plump, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, pine nuts, and olives. Season with bay leaves, oregano, and cayenne. Cook until the onions have softened and begun to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper; cook for 5 more minutes. Add the raisins, balsamic vinegar, and sugar; cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 more minutes. Remove the bay leaves, and stir in the julienned basil. Cover and keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. While the skillet is heating, toss the chicken with the lemon juice to coat (the lemon zest will be used later). Cook the chicken on both sides until golden brown and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a warm plate, and allow to rest for about five minutes.
• To serve, slice each chicken breast against the grain into thin slices. Divide the pasta into four wide, shallow bowls. Fan the chicken slices out over top of the pasta, and spoon the tomato sauce over them. Sprinkle with lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, and a sprig of basil to garnish.

SICILIAN CHICKEN PARMESAN

Steps:

• Carefully slice each chicken breast horizontally. Don't worry if they're not perfect or if one half comes out real thin as you slice each one. Believe me, no one will notice.
• Mix the breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a shallow dish. Have the beaten eggs in another shallow dish.
• Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Dip each chicken breast into the egg, allowing excess to drip off, and then into the breadcrumb mixture, covering both sides. Place chicken onto a clean plate. Do this with all the chicken before starting to cook them.
• Preheat oven to 350F/180°C.
• Pour about 3-4 tablespoons olive oil into the pan and let it get hot. Fry the chicken about 2-3 minutes each side and transfer to a plate. Add more oil to pan as needed.
• Ladle the tomato sauce (about 1 cup) into the baking dish to cover the bottom. Put the chicken breasts into the dish in a single layer or slightly overlapping.
• Layer the parma ham over the chicken at this point, if using.
• Ladle more tomato sauce (about 1 cup) over the chicken. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella all over the chicken to cover, then sprinkle the 1/4 cup grated parmesan.
• Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese has melted and become slightly golden in color.
• Serve with pasta,remaining tomato sauce, a crusty loaf of bread and salad.
• Enjoy!

SICILIAN-STYLE CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Mash garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt with a fork to form a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon oil, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.
• Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and top with the garlic mixture.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add potatoes and carrots and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown and stick to the pan, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, olives and capers; cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, for 1 minute. Nestle the chicken into the pan, cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part without touching the bone registers 165 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley, if desired.

SICILIAN PASTA AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Heat the water for your pasta while you prepare the broccoli.
• In a shallow, 10-inch saute pot, heat the 1 cup olive oil over medium-high heat (see Cook's Note). Add the broccoli to the oil and season it with salt. Saute the broccoli for about 4 minutes, or until it takes on a toasty color. The broccoli will absorb a lot of the oil, so if you find your pot getting dry, just add a little more oil to it. Throw in the garlic and cook for about another minute, until it's slightly brown. Don't burn the garlic! Take the broccoli off the heat and set it aside.
• Prepare the penne according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and toss it in the pot with the broccoli, garlic, and olive oil. If the mixture seems dry, add a little more oil.
• Toss in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, stir, and garnish with the parsley.

SICILIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Saute onion, mushrooms and garlic in 3T olive oil; stir in rosemary. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Roll chicken breasts in Romano cheese, then in flour.
• Lightly brown chicken in remaining olive oil.
• Add to casserole dish and top with mushroom mixture.
• Pour crushed tomatoes over top and bake at 350° for 1 hour.

SICILIAN CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Chicken Marinade Add the following marinade ingredients into a large bowl and stir to form a paste. Massage chicken into marinade and leave overnight or until Tomato Sauce is almost finished cooking. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet on med/high heat and brown chicken for 2 mins then remove to a plate (you may need fry the chicken in 2 batches so as not to stew the chicken): • 4 chicken breasts, cut into thin bite size pieces • 3 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste • 1 tbsp tomato paste • 1 tsp smoked paprika • 1 clove garlic, minced • Salt, pinch • Black pepper, pinch Tomato Sauce Heat oil, add the following and sauté until onions and celery are soft then add garlic and cook for a further 3 mins: • 6 tbsp olive oil • 1 medium brown onion, finely diced • 1 stick celery, finely diced • 3 cloves of garlic, minced finely chopped Add the following and simmer for approx 30 mins, stirring occasionally: • 1 tbsp tomato paste + sundried tomato paste • 1 can chopped tomatoes • 150ml red wine • 250ml chicken stock • 1 tsp dried oregano • Half sprig rosemary • 1 stick cinnamon • 3 large fresh bay leaves • Black pepper, pinch • Salt, pinch add the following at the end of cooking and stir. Turn off heat and put lid on to cook chicken through: • 1 handfull red chard • 1 cup basil leaved, ripped • 4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped • Cooked marinated chicken Pasta & Final Prep Tip cooked drained pasta into a large pot and add Parmigiano Reggiano shavings, the Tomato Sauce, mix thoroughly and serve. • Fusilli or curly pasta • 100g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese