Chicken Thighs Pasta Recipe by Jesse Bluma

Chicken Thighs Pasta Recipe

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

This recipe for chicken pasta is one of my favorites.  A flavorful and excellent dish for gatherings.  I have taught several friends and others this recipe. 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes with 2 hour to overnight marinate

Serves: 4

Pasta Ingredients

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds

1/4 cup stem trimmed, washed, minced fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon light-brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pound whole wheat or multi-grain corkscrew, fusilli, or spiral pasta

10 ounces spinach, stems trimmed and leaves washed well

1/2 cup honey Greek yogurt

3 Tablespoons organic, fresh lemon juice

10 ounces organic spinach

Roasted Chicken Thighs

8 bone-in, skin on organic chicken thighs

1/2 cup olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3 Tablespoons organic honey

Directions

In a bowl, toss chicken thighs with olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or up to a day).

Remove chicken from the refrigerator for 30 minutes before placing in the oven--time with pre-heating of the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius).

Roast chicken, skin side down, in an oiled roasting pan, 20 to 25 minutes.

Flip and roast 10 more minutes.

Heat the broiler. 

Put fennel seeds in a small, self-sealing plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. 

Add parsley, brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the bag, and shake to mix.

Stir together fennel seeds and honey and season with salt and pepper. 

Brush glaze onto chicken and broil approximately 5 minutes minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. 

Reserve about 1/2 cup cooking water, and drain pasta. 

Trim spinach stems, wash well, then gently pat dry.

Return it to the warm pot, add spinach, and toss.

In a bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, lemon juice to taste, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons pasta water.

Chop slightly cooled, roasted chicken thighs.  

Place pasta on plates, top with chopped chicken, and drizzle with the yogurt mixture.  Or simply toss pasta and chopped chicken in the pot with the yogurt mixture, adding pasta water as needed.

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