Butternut and Chicken Pasta

Our butternut and chicken pasta is creamy and rich, and a fun way to spice up your regular tomato pasta dishes. Instead of plain boiling, the butternut is also roasted with onion, tomato and garlic, giving it an extra depth of flavour when blended to a sauce.

As for the pasta, we have used the Reggia Nutri Bio Fusilli, provided to us by one of our partners, ADK General Trading. This is an organic whole wheat pasta, making it a great option for those who prefer a healthier pasta option. Especially since it tastes and has the same soft bouncy texture as regular pasta.

You can use the Gannamart App to get the Reggia Nutri Bio Fusilli or get in touch with ADK General Trading on their Viber hotline 736-3663.

Serving size: 2-3

Ingredients:

For cooking the pasta

• 3 cups of water
• ½ tsp salt
• 200g Reggia Nutri Bio Fusilli

For the roasted butternut sauce

• 1 ½ cup largely chopped butternut squash (peel and remove the insides and seeds)
• 1 large onion quartered (2 if small)
• 1 large tomato sliced in half
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp cream cheese

For the chicken

• 2-3 small chicken breasts (around 210g each)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the butternut pasta

• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions:

1. To start off, line a baking tray (we used an 11.5 inch by 9.9-inch tray) with baking paper. Preheat the oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
2. Then to a large bowl, add 1 ½ cup largely chopped butternut squash, 1 large onion quartered (2 if small), 1 large tomato sliced in half, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp oregano, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper. Mix well using your hands, until all the vegetables are fully coated.
3. Arrange the seasoned vegetables on the lined baking tray and place in the middle rack of the oven. Then bake them at 190 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until the butternut is soft when poked with a fork. Once done baking, take it out of the oven and cool down for 15-20 minutes. 
4. While baking, cook the Reggia Nutri Bio Fusilli. For this, in a small pot heat up 3 cups of water with ½ tsp salt until it reaches a boil. This took us around 6 minutes on high heat. Then add 200g Reggia Nutri Bio Fusilli and cook for 8 more minutes or until al dente (the pasta would be soft but would also have a slight firmness when you bite into it. We achieved this by removing pasta from the cooking water just 1 minute before the pasta was fully cooked).
5. When the pasta is done cooking, set aside ¼ cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Add the cooked pasta to a bowl and set aside.
6. Now to prepare the chicken breasts. For this pound the chicken breasts using something heavy like a rolling pin, until it is mostly even in thickness (to avoid making a mess, we laid a piece of plastic wrap on top of the chicken before pounding). Then season them with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp salt, ¾ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes.
7. Then heat up a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil for around a minute on medium-low heat. Place the chicken breasts in, and cook them on medium-low heat for around 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes or so.
8. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook on low heat for 10-11 minutes, flipping every 4 minutes or so. At this point it should be fully cooked and golden brown in colour (to check if the chicken is cooked, make a small cut on the meat; the inside should be white all the way through, not pink). Transfer to a plate and scoop some extra juices left on the pan with a spoon and pour over the chicken.
9. Once the butternut squash is cooked, add to a blender along with 2 tbsp cream cheese, and the ¼ cup pasta water. Blend on high speed for 1 minute until there are no lumps, and its creamy smooth. Make sure the squash is fully cooled before blending, otherwise it may explode when blending due to the pressure from the steam.
10. Add your butternut sauce to a new pan and heat it up on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, until it is warm and steaming. While heating, stir occasionally using a spatula. Then add in 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, 1 tsp chilli flakes, ½ tsp dried oregano, and ¼ tsp salt. Mix well and cook for another minute.
11. Lastly, add in the cooked Reggia Nutri Bio Fusilli and mix well together with the sauce. Cook for another minute or so until the pasta is warm again.
12. Now the butternut pasta is done cooking. To serve, place the pasta on plates. Then slice the chicken breast to thin pieces and place on top of the pasta. Enjoy.