Creamy Mustard Tagliatelle with Chicken and Spinach
Creamy Mustard Tagliatelle with Spinach and Chicken makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner. The mustard gives the sauce a subtle tang that complements the dried thyme and with the addition of chicken and spinach, it's a complete meal. I recommend pairing this with an egg pasta like tagliatelle because it adds a richness to the dish that pairs well with the cream sauce, but you could use any pasta you have on hand.serves 4 as a main course
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
- 3 Tbspns olive oil or butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped or 2 shallots
- 1/2 cup stoneground mustard
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or ground rosemary
- 1 pound tagliatelle, fettuccine or wide egg noodles
- 2 handfuls spinach leaves, fresh
Instructions
- To begin, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Then, get started on the sauce. Add olive oil to a large saute pan or dutch oven and bring to medium heat.
- Season the cubed chicken and add it to the pan. Saute until the chicken is slightly browned and then remove it and set aside.
- If the saute pan is dry after removing the chicken, add a couple of more drizzles of olive oil. Then, add the chopped onion and saute until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up the brown bits that stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow the onions to simmer in the wine for about 5 minutes, until the alcohol burns off.
- Then, add the stoneground mustard and stir. It will look a little lumpy, but it will dissolve as it continues to cook.
- Next, add the chicken stock and heavy cream. Mix to combine.
- Add the thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Taste to adjust seasoning.
- Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Reduce the heat to low. Add the spinach, stir and allow the sauce to simmer while you cook the pasta.
- Cook the pasta to al dente, per the package instructions and then transfer the pasta to the sauce to finish cooking. At this point, tailor the sauce to your desired consistency. To thin the sauce, add a small amount of pasta water at a time and stir. Alternately, you could thicken the sauce by transferring 1/2 cup of the sauce into a heat safe bowl and adding 1 Tbspn of cornstarch. Whisk until the lumps have dissolved and add it back to the sauce. Stir and the sauce will thicken within minutes.Top with chopped fresh spinach for garnish and serve.