Broccoli Rabe & Chicken Pasta Bowl

Preparation

Peel and cut broccoli rabe. Remove leaves by pulling them downward, away from the head of the vegetable. This should remove with it some of the tough skin. If, when you’re done, some of the tough skin remains, peel it off using a vegetable peeler. Cut broccoli rabe and stems into bite size pieces. Add to a pot of room temperature water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, immediately drain, and then set aside.

Cook fusilli in 2 1/2 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt until al dente. For cooking time, refer to the cooking instructions on the box. Mine, for example, took about 12 minutes of boiling (see note).

While pasta is boiling away, trim the tendons off chicken tenderloins and cut chicken into bite size pieces. In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat and add chicken to the pan, evenly browning on both sides. This will take about 4 minutes total. Turn the heat down to medium, add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan, and once heated, add shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat until pasta is done cooking.

Once the pasta has cooked to al dente, remove from heat. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain the pasta without rinsing.

Return the pan with the chicken to medium high heat. Toss in broccoli rabe and sauté for 2 minutes to reheat. Toss in pasta and gently stir to coat in olive oil. If it seems dry, add 2 tablespoons at a time of reserved pasta water until it’s silky.

Remove from the heat and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan.

Note: For more tips on making amazing pasta, refer to the body of my blog post.