Caramelised Onion Chicken Pasta

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 55

Calories: 856kcal

Servings: People

Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

Caramelised Onions

30 ml Sun-Dried Tomato Oil From The Jar
4 Brown (Yellow) Onions Sliced
4 g Brown Sugar
4 Garlic Cloves Grated
1 g Dried Thyme
80 g Sun-Dried Tomatoes Chopped
30 ml Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper To Taste

Chicken

1 kg Chicken Thigh, Boneless & Skinless Diced
8 g Garlic Powder
4 g Smoked Paprika
15 ml Sun-Dried Tomato Oil From The Jar
Salt & Pepper To Taste

Sauce

500 ml Chicken Stock
150 g Light Cream Cheese
250 ml Light Milk
15 g Dijon Mustard
80 g Parmigiano Reggiano Grated
Salt & Pepper To Taste

Pasta

350 g Rigatoni (or Pasta of Choice)
150 g Baby Spinach
250 ml Pasta Water Reserved

Method

Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large, wide pan over medium heat. Add the onions, sugar and a pinch of salt, put the lid on and cook for 8 minutes, stirring once, until the onions have softened and released their liquid. Take the lid off, drop the heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until deep golden brown. Add a splash of water if they start to catch. Stir through the garlic, thyme and sun-dried tomatoes for 1 minute, then add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute until syrupy.
While the onions cook, toss the chicken with the garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a second large pan over high heat and sear the chicken in two batches for 6-7 minutes each, until golden and cooked through (74°C/165°F internal temperature). Set aside.
Boil the rigatoni in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet time. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
Pour the stock into the onions and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce by a third. Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, milk and Dijon until smooth. Take the pan off the heat and stir through the Parmigiano Reggiano.
Add the pasta, chicken and spinach to the sauce and toss with a splash of pasta water until glossy. The sauce should look slightly loose, because the pasta soaks it up in the fridge. Divide between 5 x 750ml containers.

Private Notes

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Chef's Tips

Steam first, then brown. Lidding the pan for the first 8 minutes softens the onions in their own steam, which cuts the caramelising time from 45 minutes to about 25. After that, keep the heat at medium-low. Onions brown from their natural sugars at about 120-150°C (248-302°F), so low heat gives deep colour without burning.

Sear the chicken in batches. Crowding the pan steams the chicken instead of browning it, and browned chicken tastes better. The thigh also stays juicier than the breast through 4 days of reheating.

Keep the sauce loose and the pasta short. Cook the rigatoni 2 minutes under the packet time and leave the sauce slightly wet. Pasta keeps absorbing liquid in the fridge, so this is the right texture on day 4, and the pasta won’t go mushy.

Storage & Reheating

Cool within 1 hour of cooking, then refrigerate at 4°C (39°F) or below and eat within 4 days. It freezes for up to 3 months, so thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating. The cream cheese sauce can tighten or separate once frozen, so reheat it gently and stir through a splash of milk or stock to bring it back together. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes with a splash of water, stirring halfway, until steaming hot and at least 74°C (165°F) throughout.

Serving 650gCalories 856kcalCarbohydrates 85.8gProtein 63gFat 28.9gSaturated Fat 9.1gPolyunsaturated Fat 4.02gMonounsaturated Fat 12.04gTrans Fat 0.4gCholesterol 221.5mgSodium 754.4mgPotassium 1808.2mgFiber 6.8gSugar 19.5gVitamin A 538IUVitamin C 24.96mgCalcium 299.6mgIron 5.4mg