PRESTO PASTA NIGHT – CHICKEN & ARTICHOKE PASTA

Presto Past Night - what that means to me is cook it fast, cook it well and use what you have – no running to the store.  So, this morning, as I thought about dinner, I looked at what I had and picked out a whole, frozen chicken breast and a can or artichokes.  I knew I had some small shells, parmesan and half and half.  So, off to work!

When I got home, I tossed the chicken into a 375 degree oven and got a pot of water boiling on the stove.  I added two tablespoons of butter to a pan and a small, diced onion. After the onion was cooked, two tablespoons of flour went into the pan and cooked to a pale roux.  2 1/2 cups of half and half goes in and cook slowly until thickened.  Meanwhile, the chicken comes out, taken off the bone and diced.  I added three whole artichoke hearts quartered, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne, salt & pepper and a cup of grated parmesan cheese to the sauce.  The pasta went in the pot and cooked until done.  Finding the sauce too thick, I added a splash or two of pasta water and drained the pasta.  Pasta in the bowl, chicken on top, followed by sauce.

Presto!