Paccheri with Braised Chicken and Saffron Cream

The other day, I went to my mom’s place to visit her and the cats.  My mom is always trying to get me to go through the boxes of books and other junk that I still have at her apartment.  We found a box I’d sent to myself via media mail when I moved back up from Texas, and I hadn’t even opened it yet.  Turns out it was full of old issues of Bon Appétit magazine.  I had a friend coming for dinner yesterday and had promised to make some sort of pasta with chicken.  I flipped through the magazine with that in mind, and found this recipe (my recipe is adapted from the September 2010 issue and can be seen online here).  I knew right away that I had to make it, because I love paccheri.  It’s like rigatoni on steroids.  

Somehow I think the pasta tastes even better because it is bigger.  I buy paccheri at Whole Foods, but if you can’t find it you can order it online at markethallfoods.com.  You could substitute rigatoni, but I think it would take a lot of the fun out of this dish.  

This dish takes a little bit of time to make, but it’s very satisfying once you’re done.  Braising chicken thighs and then shredding the meat makes the chicken very tender and flavorful.  If I made this again, though, I would add some cheese.  I think a bit of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano can only make things better.  Let me know if you try it!

Ingredients (serves 4):

           

            3 tablespoons olive oil

            Salt and pepper

            2.5 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, with skin

            2 yellow onions, chopped

            6 cloves garlic, minced

            2 cups dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)

            1 teaspoon crushed saffron threads

            2 cups chicken stock

            1 cup light cream

            1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus extra to taste

            1 pound paccheri

            ½ cup chopped fresh basil, plus extra

            ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden on both sides, about 15 minutes total.  Remove the chicken to a plate.

Add the garlic and onion to the same skillet, and cook until softened somewhat, 5-10 minutes.  Add the wine and saffron, bring to a boil, and continue to boil until reduced by about half and thickened.  Add the chicken broth, return the chicken to the pan, and bring to a boil again.  Once the mixture boils, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan.  Simmer for about an hour, until chicken is very tender, turning once about halfway through.

Set the chicken aside to cool.  Boil salted water for the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and set aside.

When the chicken has cooled somewhat, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into small pieces (this is easiest to do by hand).

Skim excess fat off the top of the skillet.  Add the cream and boil until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Add lemon juice and chicken.  Cook until heated throughout.  Taste and add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if desired.  Add pasta and stir in basil and parmesan, if using.  Garnish with additional basil and parmesan and serve hot.