Pappardella with Spring Chicken Ragù

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

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When you think about a ragù one has images of an Italian grandma creating a Sunday sauce that rich and thick with a concentration of flavors. This lighter version of ragu still gives you a silky sauce with rich flavors but uses chicken and peas for flavors. It pulls you out of Winter with Spring's perfect vegetable, the pea. Using fresh peas is desired though frozen peas are just as good.

Serve on top of fresh Pappardella pasta along with a nice grate of Parmesan Reggiano cheese.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil

6 slices thick center-cut bacon, cut in ½" pieces

2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs

2 medium yellow onions, diced

1 fennel bulb, finely chopped, plus ¼ cup coarsely chopped fronds

6 sprigs fresh thyme

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup whole milk, warm

1 cup fresh peas, removed from pods or frozen peas

1 lb. Pappardelle pasta

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 lemon

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, over medium-high heat.

Slice the bacon into 1/8" slice and add to the pan. Saute until crispy.

With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon onto a paper towel lined plate. Reserve.

Season chicken all over with salt, then set in pan, skin side down. Cook, turning halfway through, until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan. Save the dripping for roasting vegetables, for another meal.

Add the onion and fennel to the pan. Saute until soft and golden, about 6 - 8 minutes.

Add the thyme to pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the white wine to pan, stirring and scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduced to half, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken back into the pan. Nestle the chicken into the bottom of the pan. Pour in water to barely cover the chicken thighs. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium high and set the lid askew. Cook chicken until tender, about 60 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a plate, and allow to cool. Remove the chicken from the bone and then shred.

Whisk the milk into the pan and bring pan to medium-high heat. Cook, stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking on the bottom, until sauce is reduce to half. About 8 - 10 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente.

Add the peas to the pan, cook until tender, 4 minutes for fresh peas and 2 minutes for frozen peas. Season sauce with salt and lots of fresh ground pepper.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the ragù along with the butter and parmesan cheese. Stir until the butter has melted constantly stirring until pasta has been coated adding reserved pasta water, if the sauce becomes to thick.

Add back the bacon and stir throughly.

Divide the pasta amoung bowls. Top with the fennel fonds and shaved parmesam.