Chicken Pasta with Brandy Sauce

Somehow whenever I cook on a weekend, the whole gang gets the word and my house gets packed. There was a girl coming over, so I figured I'd cook. Then there were two girls and my buddy coming over, so I figured I should cook more. Then there were four more people planning to come, and that's when it hit that I should probably get some serious food started.

I had no meal planned, and I was in the middle of a very important game of Modern Warfare 2, so there was no way I was going to the grocery store. I did, however, still have an entire family size package of frozen chicken breasts, and that's where I decided to start working. While they thawed under some cold running water, I went through the cabinet in search of inspiration. I managed to find two cans of tomato sauce, minced garlic (of course), a can of diced tomatoes, chicken broth and a bag of uncooked pasta. I was ready.

The crock pot was once again pulled out. I still had plenty of time to cook this food, and it makes my house smell great. It seemed like to optimum way to go when a girl's coming over.

So here's what I did...

Chicken Pasta with Brandy-Cream Sauce
Chicken breasts (I used 3)
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of chicken broth
Seasonings (whatever's in your cupboard)
Minced Garlic
Brandy (optional)
Pasta (any kind. I happened to have those noodles that looked twisty, but not completely twisty. We'll call them the lazy twisty noodles)

Throw the chicken breasts into the crock pot, along with the 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can of diced tomatoes, and as much garlic as you think applies. Add the chicken broth until the chicken's completely covered. Add in any seasoning you'd like. I used basil, onion powder, salt and pepper, but feel free to use the herbs and seasonings you like.

It was at this point that I thought something was missing, and feeling bold grabbed a bottle of Presidente Brandy that happened to be sitting on my counter. I eyeballed three or four shots into the pot, and set it on high. Make sure you set it to high to cook the alcohol out.

4 hours later....

The chicken/sauce was smelling great. Basically I'd just made a lazy version of a meat sauce, but instead of meat I used chicken. Turn off the crock pot. Using tongs or a fork, remove the chicken breasts from the pot, and place them in a large mixing bowl, and let them cool. You want extra room in the mixing bowl. It's ok if there are chunks of tomato still in your chicken.

While the chicken is cooling, boil water and cook your pasta, as shown on the directions. While that's cooking, take two forks and shred the chicken, until no big chunks are left.

Strain your pasta, and add the cooked pasta to the chicken. Mix the whole thing together lightly.

This is where you'll have two options...

One is to pour a large helping of the sauce from the crock pot into your pasta mixture. This will be absolutely delicious, and the flavor of the brandy in the sauce will be a great, sweet and spicy combo with the chicken and pasta.

The other option is the random moment of inspiration I had right as the chicken was ready. I added to the chicken and pasta mixture several spoonfuls of the sauce, mostly trying to get all of the diced tomatoes in. Then, I added several handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese, and a jar of Alfredo sauce that I found in the back of the cupboard. Mixing the whole thing together, I ended up with a great smelling pink sauce.

I poured the pasta mixture into a large baking dish, and topped it with a little more mozzarella and a thin layer of bread crumbs. On top, I drizzled several more spoonfuls of the sauce from the crock pot onto the bread crumbs, which would add some flavor as it cooked.

I put the whole thing into the broiler, set to low, and let it do its thing.

Ten minutes later, I ended up with a delicious pasta casserole with a very complex sauce. The ten or so people that were there ate through the entire thing, which is the best compliment I can receive on my food. As for the girl coming over, well, that'll be a different blog entry.

Let me know what you think!