A delicious creamy caramelized onion, chicken, and pasta dish with tons of protein, large bites of pasta, and a flavorful punch from caramelized onions.
This dish is surprisingly simple and has four main components: the onions, the chicken, then pasta, and the cream.
For the onions, start by melting butter in a pot or pan on medium heat. Then thinly slice three large onions and add to the melted butter. Sauté gently for about 15 to 20 minutes, covering with a lid to help the onions tenderize quicker. Watch the onions as they are prone to burn!
Once onions are beautifully caramelized add in a box of uncooked pasta. Stir the pasta to toast then add beef broth (or beef broth cubes and water) and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, stirring often.
While the pasta cooks, prepare your chicken. I like to use chicken breast cut into bite size pieces to make it easier to eat. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and olive oil to the chicken abd mix well. Then fry in batches until golden brown-I don’t cook it through all the way at this point so it doesn’t overcook when I add it to the pasta.
By the point the pasta should be tender and ready-add in the chicken and mix well. Then add in a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of heavy cream and combine. At this point I turn off the heat and cover the pot to give the the pasta a chance to soak in more sauce and flavor!
Serve with a sprinkling of parsley-fresh of dried-and enjoy!
Ingredients
Feeds 6-8
- 3 large onions , sliced thin
- 1 stick of butter
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 6 cups beef stock*
- 2-3 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces**
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Parsley for garnish
Directions
1. Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, add onions and sauté. Cover and cook gently for 15-20 minutes or until onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally.
2. Season onions with salt and pepper.
3. Add uncooked pasta and mix well. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Then turn heat lower and simmer gently until pasta is tender and cooked through-you may need to add splashes of water
4. Combine chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and oil. Mix well.
5. Heat a pan on high heat and add olive oil. Fry the chicken in batches until it develops some color
6. Combine chicken with pasta once the pasta is cooked through, then add Parmesan and heavy cream and mix
7 Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Notes
* Alternatively, combine beef stock cubes with water
** I used 4 lbs in this recipe because I wanted a lot of protein but the chicken to pasta ratio was definitely off, so for a normal pasta I would suggest 2-3 pounds