Valentine's Day Pasta

Time :1 5

Yield :6 servings

Recipe Background

To make Valentine's Day truly special, Valentine's Day Pasta is the dish you need. No question about it! Valentine's Day Pasta pulls out all the stops, just like how Valentine's Day should be done! The chicken is crisp and golden-brown, the shrimp are juicy and savory, and the sauce is creamy and cheesy. Oh, and there's bacon... because Valentine's Day is supposed to be truly special, just like how this dish tastes.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 pound chicken breasts boneless and skinless
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated and divided
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

For the pasta and the sauce:

1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti or bucatini
4 strips bacon
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated, plus more, to taste, for serving
1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 pound shrimp peeled and cooked
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips homemade or store-bought

Directions

Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts to a 1/2-inch thickness.
Cut the chicken breasts into 2-3-inch strips.
In a shallow bowl, add the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper and whisk to combine.
In a separate, shallow bowl, add 1/2 cup of the milk.
In a separate, shallow bowl, add the breadcrumbs and 3/4 cup of the parmesan cheese and whisk to combine.
Dip the chicken strips in the flour mixture, making sure they are coated on all sides and shaking off the excess.
Dip the chicken strips into the milk and then into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the breadcrumb mixture into the chicken strips to help them adhere.
Let the coated chicken strips stand for 10 minutes.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil.
Add the chicken strips to the hot oil and cook, turning them once, until they are golden-brown and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 6-8 minutes. You may need to do this in batches.
Transfer the chicken strips to a paper towel to drain and repeat the cooking process until all of the chicken strips are cooked. Keep the chicken warm.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the spaghetti and cook until it is al dente, according to the package directions.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, draining the remainder.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the bacon and cook, turning the bacon once, until crisp, about 6-8 minutes.
Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon and set it aside.
Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the pan, draining the remainder.
Add the garlic and the heavy cream to the hot bacon drippings in the pan and stir to combine.
Bring the cream mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the cream mixture, uncovered, until it reduces by half, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the butter, 1/2 cup of the remaining parmesan cheese, the crumbled bacon, the parsley, and the remaining salt to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.
Add the remaining milk to the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. You may not need all of the pasta water.
Add the shrimp to sauce mixture until heated through.
Add the spaghetti and the red pepper strips to the sauce mixture and toss to coat.
Add the chicken to the pasta mixture and gently fold to combine.
Serve the pasta mixture topped with the extra parmesan cheese.