RECIPE: CHICKEN ROMANO WITH PASTA ALA VODKA

INGREDIENTS
Pickle
- 1 Cup water
- 1 Cup white wine vinegar
- 2 Garlic cloved, smashed
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Small fennel bulb, shaved
- 1 Fresno chile, shaved
Chicken
- 1 Cup flour
- 1 Egg
- 2 Tablespoon milk
- 2 Cups panko
- 2 Ounces Pecorino Romano, grated
- 4 thin sliced or pounded chicken breasts, 5-6 oz ea
- Olive oil for pan-frying
Pasta
- 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Medium onion, small dice
- 4 Garlic cloves, minced
- 8 Ounces Stancato’s Classic Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Calabrian chiles, minced
- 2 Ounces vodka
- 6 Ounces cream, room temperature
- 1 LB cavatappi, or similar pasta
- 4 Ounces grated Parmiggiano
- Salt & pepper
- 6 fresh basil leaves
DIRECTIONS
Pickle
- Bring water, vinegar, garlic, salt and sugar to a boil
- Add fennel and chile and remove from heat
- Set aside and allow to cool at room temperature
Chicken
- Season flour on a plate with salt and pepper
- Using a fork, combine egg and milk on a plate until smooth
- Combine panko & Romano on a plate
- Season chicken with salt & pepper
- Dredge each chicken breast in flour, dip in egg wash, dredge in panko crumbs
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add enough oil to pan fry
- Once oil is hot, add chicken to pan and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked to 165 degrees. Keep warm in an oven set to low.
Pasta
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium. Add onion and garlic, stirring constantly, just until onion is starting to brown around the edges, 5–7 minutes
- Add Stancato’s Classic Cheese and chile, stirring often, until it is starting to brown on bottom, 5–7 minutes
- Carefully add vodka to deglaze pan and stir to incorporate, scraping bottom of pot. Reduce heat to low
- Slowly add cream, stirring constantly, until a smooth sauce forms. Remove from heat
- Add pasta to pot of boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking liquid for later
- Begin to heat pan with the sauce and using a spider, transfer pasta to pan.
- Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to pan and stir to incorporate, add half of the Parmiggiano, stirring constantly to melt cheese
- Season with salt and add a splash more pasta cooking liquid to thin sauce, if needed
- Once pasta is coated evenly with sauce, turn off heat.
- Divide pasta among bowls. Top with chicken, remaining cheese, pickled fennel then tear basil leaves over top as garnish.
- Enjoy!