Chicken Vodka Pasta

• Penne pasta - Penne or short shapes are excellent for trapping and holding onto the sauce.
• Chicken - Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts.
• Marinara sauce – Use your favorite jarred marinara sauce.
• Heavy cream - Adds richness rounding out the acidity in tomatoes.
• Vodka – It adds a subtle bite and zing. Don't invest in a premium bottle, use whatever you have at home.
• Onion - Sautéed onion adds sweetness and texture.
• Parmesan - Adds a depth and complex flavors.

Pro tip: Save your premium bottle of vodka for your drinks and cheaper vodka is fine to use in cooking, like in this cooking chicken vodka pasta.

Variations

My favorite part about this chicken vodka pasta recipe is that you can customize with whatever you have at home. Mix-in any of the following ingredients -

• Without Vodka - Simply replace vodka with water
• Shrimp - Cook shrimp before adding chicken, transfer to a bowl and then proceed to the recipe. Stir in cooked shrimp along with pasta.
• Broccoli - Add broccoli to the boiling water during the last couple of minutes of pasta cooking. Drain along with pasta and stir into the dish along with penne.
• Peas - Add frozen peas to the boiling water during the last couple of minutes of pasta cooking. Drain along with pasta and stir into the sauce along with penne.
• Spinach - Stir in baby spinach during the last couple of minutes.
• Mushrooms - Cook sliced mushrooms before adding chicken, transfer to a bowl and then proceed to the recipe. Stir in cooked mushrooms along with pasta.
• Rotisserie chicken - Stir in chopped rotisserie chicken along with marinara sauce, like it chicken pasta salad.

How to make?

You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.

1.Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add butter when hot and let melt. Add chicken and spread them into a single layer. Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes, without disturbing.

2 & 3. Add onion, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to the chicken, cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked and onion is translucent.

4 & 5. Stir in marinara sauce, heavy cream and vodka. Cook, stirring occasionally for 7 to 10 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly and thickened.

Tip: Is vodka absolute necessary? Well it wouldn't be vodka sauce without it. But, use water to make it family friendly and you wouldn't miss it.

6, 7 & 8. Stir in cooked pasta, parmesan cheese and basil. Toss well.

How to serve?

This pasta is delicious on it own or can be served with garlic bread, parmesan bread bites or soft garlic knots.

How to store leftovers?

• To refrigerate - Refrigerate leftover chicken vodka pasta in air tight containers for up to 5 days. Microwave until heated through.
• To freeze: Transfer into a freezer safe container, seal tight and freeze for up to a month. Simply thaw at room temperature and warm in microwave to re heat.

How to make ahead?

Make chicken and vodka sauce in advance:

• Prepare the sauce according to the recipe instructions (do not add pasta), cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• To reheat, pour the sauce back into a saucepan and cook in low heat, until heated through.

Make pasta in advance:

• Cook pasta until al dente, drain and rinse thoroughly (this helps the pasta not stick to each other).
• Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Add pasta to hot sauce to reheat and stir in low heat for a few minutes.

Helpful tips

• Chicken thighs - Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts.
• Make it healthy - Use canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
• Make it spicy - Increase red pepper flakes to about 1 tablespoon or more to make a spicy chicken vodka pasta.
• Make it vegan - Use olive oil instead of butter, coconut milk instead of heavy cream and dairy free parmesan cheese instead.
• Simmer until thickened - This will ensure that the alcohol will cook off. If you don’t cook the sauce long enough, you may end up with a harsh aftertaste from the alcohol.