Creamy Chicken Pasta Bowl (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Chicken

01 - 15-30 millilitres olive oil
02 - 60 grams plain flour
03 - 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
04 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
05 - Salt, to taste
06 - 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast

→ Pasta and Sauce

07 - 1 lemon (totally optional, just for serving)
08 - 250 millilitres of the water you used to cook the pasta (add as much as you want)
09 - 225 grams dried pasta (whatever shape you like; shells, linguine, fettuccine, or farfalle)
10 - 30 grams Romano cheese, freshly grated (all Parmesan is fine too)
11 - 30 grams Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
12 - 0.5 chicken bouillon cube
13 - 180 millilitres chicken broth
14 - 300 millilitres half and half (just equal amounts of milk and light cream)
15 - 24 grams plain flour
16 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped up
17 - 42 grams unsalted butter
18 - 120 millilitres dry white wine (grab Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio; swap with chicken broth if you need)

→ Seasonings

19 - 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
20 - 0.5 teaspoon dried parsley
21 - 0.5 teaspoon mustard powder
22 - 0.5 teaspoon dried basil
23 - 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
24 - 0.5 teaspoon garlic salt
25 - 0.5 teaspoon onion powder

# Instructions:

01 - If you feel like it, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top before putting it on plates. Sprinkle on extra parsley, dried or fresh, and hand out right away.
02 - Dump in the grated Romano and Parmesan a bit at a time, stirring till it's all melted and smooth. Toss in the cooked pasta and gently mix. Slide the chicken and those tasty juices back to the pan, then give everything a good mix. Add a little reserved pasta water—just enough to get the sauce as thick or runny as you like.
03 - Once your water is bubbling like crazy, throw in a generous amount of salt. Then drop in the pasta and cook until it's just barely done, giving it a stir now and then so it doesn't stick. Save about 250 ml of that starchy water, then drain the noodles.
04 - Slowly pour the blended half-and-half mix in small bits, whisking or stirring all the time for a creamy, lump-free sauce. Toss in the chunk of bouillon. Turn it down so it gently bubbles, pop a lid on (not all the way).
05 - Drop the butter and minced garlic in the pan. Cook for around a minute. Scatter in the flour, keep stirring for another two to lose that raw flour flavor.
06 - Get water going for pasta. Pour the white wine into your chicken pan, drop to medium heat, and scrape up all those browned bits. Let it simmer till about half the wine is left—takes around 3 or 4 minutes.
07 - Get your skillet hot with olive oil over medium-high. Pop the chicken in, cook each side 3–4 minutes until it's golden and cooked through. Move it to a plate and let it chill out for 10 minutes, then slice up.
08 - Carefully cut your chicken breast in half the long way, making 2 to 4 thin pieces. Cover them with cling wrap and smash each one till it's about 2.5 cm thick. Dab them dry, sprinkle both sides with salt, black pepper, and Italian herbs, and then coat both sides lightly in flour.
09 - Stir the half-and-half, chicken broth, all your dried herbs and spices together in a big jug. Measure everything else out now. To save some cooking water for the sauce, place a measuring cup in the colander before you drain your noodles.

# Notes:

01 - The sauce gets way creamier if you grate your own cheese from a block—don’t use the pre-shredded kind.
02 - When you add cheese, the sauce shouldn't be crazy hot, or it might go gritty or split.
03 - Spinach, mushrooms sautéed quickly, or chopped cherry tomatoes all taste awesome stirred in at the end if you want extra veggies.
04 - When you reheat leftovers, splash in some saved pasta water or regular milk to bring the sauce back to life.
05 - Pop any leftovers in a tub or zip bag and keep them in the fridge up to three days, or toss in the freezer for three months.

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