Penne Vodka

Ingredients:

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream

3 tbsp (2 tbsp for the chicken plus 1 tablespoon butter for the sauce) butter

9 (8 cloves for the sauce plus 1 clove for the chicken) garlic, minced or pressed

2-3 shallots, minced

1 cup vodka

1 cup chicken stock

1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)

1 can diced tomatoes (14 ounces)

16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate

1/2 cup heavy cream

20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

1 lb thin slice or pounded chicken breast

1 cup to 1 ½ cup flour (for dredging)

10 ounces mushrooms, cleaned & sliced (I use creminis)

1 tbsp sugar (or to taste) for the sauce

1 tbsp Italian seasoning for the sauce (I buy this in bottles in the store – any brand is fine)

½ tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 tsp kosher salt (or a few shakes of table salt to taste)
 

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, butter, 8 cloves garlic. Sauté for about 30-45 seconds til the garlic smells good – but not golden. Add shallots. Gently sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms to the pan with a little bit more butter. Add vodka to the pan. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cook for about 2 or 3 minutes then add the chicken broth. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, sugar & basil.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (according to box directions). While pasta cooks, cook chicken.

To cook chicken, salt & pepper the chicken, then dredge in flour. Over medium heat, heat ¼ cup olive oil with 2 tbsp butter, add in the clove of garlic. Once garlic is golden and fragrant (it will be very soon) cook 2-3 chicken breasts at a time – depending on how many fit in your pan. Cook chicken until golden and cooked through (will not take very long at all – maybe 1-2 minutes per side). When all chicken is cooked, slice into thin slices, reserve until sauce is ready.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, add in chicken, cook for about 5 minutes, and remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce.