Jalapeno Chicken Bowtie Pasta

Warm enough to get you through winter, hearty enough to keep you healthy in spring.

We’re well into the coldest part of winter, getting hammered from all sides with cold weather and we need something to warm up! This week’s recipe is a great recipe if you’re fighting off a cold or are just sick of the cold. It’s got the same basics as a good chicken noodle soup with some extra added kick to it. 

Ingredients: 

1 medium yellow onion

3 large carrots

3 celery stalks 

salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves 

2 Tbsp butter

3 chicken breasts

1 pt of heavy cream

1 bay leaf

Fresh parsley

1 tsp of thyme 

chicken bullion 

1 lb bowtie pasta 

jalapeno slices 

Tools: Two large pots, a blender or food processor, a cutting board, slotted spoons and a few bowls 

Recipe: 

To get us started, grab a paper towel and wet it with cold water in your sink. Lay it next to your cutting board, and then grab your onion. Chop the onion into large quarters, remove the outer skin, and be amazed that your eyes aren't watering, thanks to the paper towel. Does it sound weird? yes. Does it work? Also yes. This is a trick we use all the time in our own kitchens for the ARS staff. Put the onions aside into a large bowl, and take up your carrots. You can choose to skin them, or just give them a quick scrub, it's up to you. Once you've prepped them, go ahead and give your carrots a few rough chops, breaking them down into thirds.  Do the same with your celery in terms of prep, and make sure not to leave any of the leaves on. 

Go ahead and turn your stove on high and place your large pot on the stove, tossing in 2 Tbsp of butter. Let that melt down, and then add salt and fresh cracked pepper to the pan. While that's going, take your garlic cloves, nip off the top, bottom, and the skins, and then quickly mince them. Toss that into the pan, and stir until the garlic is aromatic. At that point, add in your onion, carrots and celery, turn the heat down to medium, and let it sit. You're going to let the vegetables simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, to allow them to start softening and cooking. 

Once your onions are halfway to translucent, fill the pot with water and add in the chicken. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the water has reduced by half. 

Turn the burner off and grab two different bowls. One bowl is just for the chicken. The second bowl is for all of the vegetables. Take up your slotted spoon and remove all of the vegetables from the stock. Make sure to lose as little stock as possible, as it's the base for the sauce.  From here, grab your blender or food processor and pour in your vegetables. You might have to do this in batches, you might not. Either way, add about 1/2 cup of stock to the blender, just to make it easier, and set the machine to chop. Once you've got the vegetables much smaller, you can switch over to blend and let the machine work until you have a smooth puree. Pour your puree back into the pot, and return the pot to medium heat. 

Pour 1 pint of heavy cream into the pot, give it a stir, and taste. This is the stage to add spices in. Add in 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, and 1 tsp of thyme. Give that a stir and let it bubble for a few minutes, then taste. At this point, we realized we needed more chicken and add in 1 tablespoon of chicken bullion, but you might not. Let the pot continue to bubble, reducing further until you have a thick sauce that stays on the spoon when you lift it out. As this works, you'll also want to skim the top and scrape the bottom occasionally to remove anything from building up. 

When the sauce is nice and thick, grab a second pot and add water, plus enough salt to make it as salty as the ocean. Bring that to a roiling boil and add in your bowtie pasta. Set a timer for six minutes, and go back to your cutting board. This time you're going to be tackling the chicken and being much more uniform than we were earlier in the recipe. Chop the chicken into bite-sized chunks, or you can shred it depending on how easily it's falling apart. Eitherway, once that's done, toss it into the sauce pot and give it a good stir to incorporate it. 

By now your pasta should be done, take that off the burner, strain it and add the pasta to the sauce. Give that a stir and let it simmer until the pasta is fully cooked. 

While that's finishing up, you've got one final choice to make. Do you like your food spicy or really spicy? If you like it just a little spicy, dish out the jalapenos in small dishes set to the side of each bowl. If you like it really spicy, add the jalapenos and the juice they come in into the main pot and let that mix. 

Either way you prefer it, once your pasta is fully cooked, congrats! You've got a healthy and delicious meal that no one will suspect has a whole bunch of veggies hidden in it. 

Let us know over on our Facebook page if you plan to give this one a try! We'd love to see how it turns out. 

If your appliances are giving you trouble, you can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). At Appliance Rescue Service, we're here for you and want to help you get your home running smoothly again.

Turkey Tetrazzini Takeover!

For When You're Left With A Ton Of Turkey After Thanksgiving And Don't Know What To Do With It.

Welcome back to another recipe of the week!  We almost always end up with leftovers after Thanksgiving of some sort, and you need to use them up without burning out. This week we're taking your turkey and turning it into a medley of flavors with this Turkey Tetrazzini. While the first version is a very traditional mix,  we also have a Southwest style in the notes afterward if you're looking for something wildly different. For now, let's grab that turkey and dive in! 

Ingredients:

1 lb of dried pasta 

3 Tbsp butter

4 garlic cloves

1lb onions 

3 1/2  oz of button mushrooms

1 cup white wine

2 C chicken stock

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 C turkey stock  (can be substituted for more chicken stock if you don't have any)

1/2 C heavy cream

1 C milk 

14oz cooked turkey

1 tsp ground nutmeg

10 oz Cheddar cheese

3 1/2 oz Parmesan cheese

8 oz frozen peas

salt 

fresh ground black pepper

1 lemon 

1 C panko bread crumbs 

Recipe: 

Start by gathering up your garlic, onions, mushrooms, turkey, cheddar cheese, and your lemon. Each of them needs to be prepped in different ways, so you're also going to need your chef's knife, a pair of forks, a juicer, and a cutting board, as well as dishes for each ingredient.

Start by crushing your garlic cloves with the side of your knife and thoroughly smashing them.  Then take your onions, remove the tops and bottoms of them and chop the rest into 1/2 inch pieces. 

Next up is the mushrooms, for those, you'll want to slice them into 1/4-inch slices. These are thick enough not to melt but thin enough to cook easily.  When you're done with those, take your turkey and shred it. You can even go so far as to chop the shredded pieces after so that nothing is longer than bite size if you like, but the shredding is the important part here. 

For the cheddar, you're going to want to shred that all and set it aside in the fridge for the time being. Lastly, grab your lemon. Roll it firmly across the counter with your palm and then cut it in half, making sure to get out as much of the juice as you can from both halves.

Once you've prepped all of your materials, set a pot of water on the stove, add 1/4 c salt to the water and bring it to a roiling boil. Toss in the pasta and cook it until cooked but still firm. This is so that you don't get pasta-flavored mush later on.  Drain the pasta and set it aside. 

-Add the butter to a large frying pan and allow it to melt. When done, add in your garlic and onions and saute for 7 minutes or until the onions are tender.  Stir in your mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes stirring frequently. 

-Stir your wine and 2 cups of chicken stock into the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the mixture to reduce for 10 minutes. Next, add in the flour and mix thoroughly to incorporate. When you don't have any clumps left, stir in the turkey stock a little at a time. (Or the third cup of chicken stock if you went with that.)  Whisk it all together to form a sauce. 

-Reduce your heat to medium-low and stir in the cream, milk, turkey, nutmeg and both types of cheese.   Season it well with salt and pepper, mixing to incorporate. Allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Finally, add in the pasta and the peas while you preheat your oven to 350*F. 

-Remove the pan from the heat and mix in your lemon juice. 

-Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and coat the top with your panko.  Bake the casserole for 25 minutes or until the top, is golden brown and bubbling. 

For a tasty variation, you can sub out the cheddar cheese for cream cheese and the Parmesan for a little bit of Monterey Jack. 

Remove the peas and add in fresh red and green bell peppers instead. We would say two of each type, diced and sauteed, prior to adding in. 

Finally, add in 2 tsp of chili powder,1 tsp of smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. 

Follow all of the directions otherwise and enjoy a delicious southwestern-style tetrazzini. 

With that wrapped up, that is our recipe for this week! Let us know how yours turned out or any variations you've tried in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

If you wound up here because your appliances are malfunctioning after Thanksgiving, give us a ring! You can reach out to us via phone at (214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page. Wherever you are in the Dallas Metro area, Appliance Rescue Service is here to help. Whether you're in Coppell, Allen or Plano, we'll work with you to get your home running smoothly again.