Felt like eating Italian dish with Indian touch. Cooked Paasta Chicken in Red Sauce. My Daughters’ favourite. Used fresh ingredients, extra virgin olive oil along with healthy Durum Wheat Pasta. For Vegeterians, you can cook this Paasta without chicken or try replacing chicken with Paneer. Try cooking at home. Homemade Passta Chicken in Red Sauce for my family, didn’t missed the Restaurant during this lockdown period in Mumbai.
Recipe:
Ingredients:

  • Paasta – 250 gms. Good quality Wheat Paasta.
  • Fresh Boneless Chicken Breast pieces – Two large or three small pieces. Chop it into 1 to 2 inch thin pieces.
  • Green Bell Pepper – 1 Big size. De-seed it. Chop it into 2 inch long thin sized pieces.
  • Yellow Bell Pepper – 1 Big size. De-seed it. Chop it into 2 inch long thin sized pieces.
  • Red Bell Pepper – 1 Big size. De-seed it. Chop it into 2 inch long thin sized pieces.
  • Tomatoes – 9 to 10 large size – for Red Sauce.
  • Tej Patta (Bay Leaves) – 2 to 3 medium size.
  • Garlic – 10 cloves. Finely chop it.
  • Black Pepper powder – 1 tbs.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Hot Red Chilli powder – 1 tbs.
  • Butter – 6 tbs.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 4 tbs.
  • Fresh Cream – 2 tbs.
  • Parmesan Cheese – Grated – One cup.
  • Cheddar Cheese – Grated – One cup.
  • Fresh Oregano Leaves – 2 tbs. Roughly chopped.

Method:

  • Take a large Kadai or Pan. Add 15 to 18 cups of water and Heat it up. Add 2 tsp of salt. Allow water to boil up properly.
  • Add Paasta to the boiling water. Add 1 tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Give it a gentle mix and leave it to cook. Don’t cover the kadai with any lid.
  • Take another Kadai or Pan. Add 8 to 10 cups of water and Heat it up. Give a small cut on top of all Tomatoes and place them into the boiling water. Allow Tomatoes to cook until Tomato skin starts to peel off on its own.
  • Take a Frying Pan. Add 2 tbs of butter and Heat it up on slow flame. Add chopped green bell pepper, red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper to the frying pan. Toss it and cook it on high flame for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the cooked peppers from the Pan. Keep it aside.
  • Take the same Frying Pan. Add 2 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of Extra Virgin Olive oil. Heat it up on slow to medium flame.
  • Add chopped chicken pieces into the Frying Pan. Mix it well for 2 minutes on high flame. Add black pepper powder, red chilli powder, half tsp of salt. Keep stiring and cook the chicken on high flame until the chicken is cooked well and water is dried up. Remove the cooked chicken from the Pan. Keep it aside.
  • Keep checking the boiling Tomatoes and boiling Paastas.
  • Once the Tomato skin starts to peel off on its own, turn off the flame. Leave them in the hot water for another 10 minutes.
  • Take a large Strainer/Mesh and place it on a Bowl or any Utensil. Carefully remove Tomatoes from hot water and place the boiled Tomatoes on the Strainer and Mash / Crush them using a crusher. Allow the pulp the collect in the Bowl. Discard the remaining waste left on the Strainer.
  • Once the Pastas are cooked, turn off the heat. Take a large Straner / Mesh and place it on a Large Bowl. Carefully lift the boiled Pasta Kadai and pour all the Pasta along with the water on the Strainer. Seperate the water from Pasta. Transfer the Pasta into a large Mixing Bowl. Pour the 1 tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the hot Pasta and very gently give it a mix. Ensure Pastas don’t break while mixing. Keep it aside.
  • Take the large Kadai or Deep Pan and add remaining Extra Virgin Olive Oil and remaining Butter. Heat it up.
  • Add Bay Leaves and chopped Garlic into the Kadai. Cook it for 2 to 3 minutes on high flame.
  • Add Tomato pulp into the Kadai. Mix it well. Cook the Tomato pulp on high flame for around five minutes. Add 1 or 2 cups of water if the Tomato pulp is too thick. Water is needed as it will be absorbed by all the ingredients that will be added at later stage.
  • Carefully remove the Bay Leaves from boiling Tomato.
  • Add grated Cheddar Cheese into the Kadai. Mix it well and allow it to cook on high flame for another 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add cooked Chicken into the Kadai. Mix it well and cook it on high flame for another 2 minutes.
  • Add cooked Pasta and salt to taste. Gently mix it and cook it on medium flame for another 2 to 4 minutes with lid covered on the Kadai. Don’t stir this continuously as Pastas will break.
  • Add fried red, yellow, green bell peppers and fresh cream into the Kadai. Mix it gently.
  • Add chopped fresh oregano leaves. Mix it gently. Turn off the Heat and close the lid cover on Kadai.
  • Pasta Chicken in Red Sauce is ready.
  • Serve hot Pasta Chicken in Red Sauce and garnish it with grated Parmesan Cheese before serving.
  • Happy Eating.