Chicken with Shallots and Buttered Noodles Recipes

Chicken with Shallots and Buttered Noodles

This is one of our favorite dinners around here. The sauce is so silky and rich and decadent. The whole dinner is really quick to make, and affordable, but tastes like something I spent hours on.

Chicken with Shallots

4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pound the chicken breasts thin between two sheets of cling wrap. Season the breasts and place them into the pan until browned. Turn and brown the other side. If you pounded them really thin, they are probably done at this point, but check and see if the juices run clear. If not, put a lid on the pan, turn down the heat. and let them cook for 5-10 minutes until the juices run clear.  Remove the chicken to a plate and cover in aluminum foil or a pan lid to keep warm.

Turn the heat back up to medium and add the shallots and the garlic to the pan. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and deglaze the pan with the wine. Let it reduce just a bit until slightly syrupy, and then add the chicken broth. Let reduce over medium heat until about half, or for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and finish the sauce by melting the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in it.

Put the chicken back in the pan, turn the breasts so that both sides get coated with the sauce, and then serve, spooning sauce over the breasts.

Buttered Noodles

12 oz. spaghetti or fettucine
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic. chopped
1/4 c. butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 tablespoons freeze-dried basil, or 1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped or cut in strips
A pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Salt a large pot of water with 2 t. salt, and bring to boiling. Boil the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, in a very small sauce pan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter and slowly cook the garlic until softened but not burnt.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, and add the cubed butter. Stir until the butter is all melted. Add the cooked garlic and butter, the basil, and the red pepper flakes. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and stir briskly until the sauce clings to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tasty with a green salad on the side!