Tender chicken thighs smothered in a rich, homemade tomato sauce and covered in a layer of gooey provolone cheese. Added Bonus: We’re also including a Stuffed Mushroom recipe!
When it comes to pasta… I’m a messy, gooey, smothered in decadent sauce sort of gal. That’s the only way it should be consumed and I’m sticking to it. Oh, and a glass of wine with crusty bread is never frowned upon.
Earlier this year, my friend Chris Coleman came over to show me how to make his dad’s Chicken Parmesan Pasta.
We’ve known each other for a few years now and he’s an incredible chef (psst: he just kicked ass in Chopped and WON! #ChoppedChampion). Currently he’s in the midst of opening his new restaurant, The Goodyear House, which focuses on comfort foods that highlight the local region. When it comes to cozy classics, Chef Coleman certainly knows what he’s talking about. I’ve written about Chris previously on my blog, learn more about his Executive Chef experience at Stoke here.
I love this hot and bubbly version of Chicken Parmesan Pasta. The chicken is cooked in an ocean of scratch-made tomato sauce, covered in cheese, and then baked to fall-apart perfection in the oven. Hello, deliciousness.
As an optional side, Coleman’s dad would make stuffed mushrooms. They encompass all of the same ingredients of the parmesan, so you might as well go big or go home.
To make the mushrooms, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 20 Cremini Mushrooms, with stem
- 8 oz. cooked Hot Italian Sausage
- 1/4 cup diced Yellow Onion
- 1 – 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. each of Basil, Oregano, and Thyme
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
To assemble:
- Wash and dry the mushrooms with paper towels. Make sure they are dry so you don’t increase the amount of liquid that will be released in the baking dish.
- Cut the stems off of each mushroom and chop them into smaller pieces.
- In a large bowl, mix together the mushroom stems, cooked sausage, yellow onion, garlic, herbs and parmesan. Fill each mushroom cap generously with the filling mixture and place them in a baking dish.
- Bake in a 375F oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the cheese has melted. You can place them under the broiler for a couple minutes at the end if you want them extra toasty.
OTHER CHEF RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Matthew Shepard’s Rosemary Chicken
Clark Barlowe’s Homemade Pizza Dough
- 1 lb. Chicken Thighs (skin and bones intact)
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 1 Head of Garlic, peeled & minced
- Flour (small amount)
- 1 (20 oz.) can Whole Plum Tomatoes
- 1 (4 oz.) can Tomato Paste
- ½ cup Red Wine
- Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- Dried Basil, Oregano, Thyme, as needed
- Red Pepper Flakes, as needed
- 6 slices Provolone Cheese
- ½ cup Grated Parmesan
- 16 oz. Box of Linguine (or desired pasta)
- Good crusty bread (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and set aside.
- Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and sauté onion until softened. Add minced garlic and continue to sauté for 1 - 2 minutes. Pour in a very small amount of flour to the pot and stir to combine with onions and garlic.
- Add whole plum tomatoes, ½ the tomato paste, red wine, balsamic vinegar and sugar to the pot. Sprinkle in dried herbs and red pepper flakes, to taste. Try it and add more if desired. Bring to a boil.
- Carefully place chicken inside the tomato sauce and top with provolone cheese slices and grated parmesan. Place lid on and bake for 1 hour.
- Cook pasta while the Chicken Parmesan bakes. Toast the bread, if desired.
- To serve, place pasta on a plate or good-sized pasta bowl. Top with a braised chicken thigh and spoon over your desired amount of sauce. Feel free to sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy with crusty bread and (optional) mushrooms as a side.
NOTES ON MAKING CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA:
- If you’d like to brown the chicken before simmering in the sauce, go ahead and do that first before cooking the onions. All you need to do is remove the chicken after it’s been browned and set it on a plate while you assemble the tomato sauce. If doing this, make sure to bring the sauce to a boil before tasting it on step 3.
- Fresh herbs work well with this recipe as well. A good rule to keep in mind is the fact that died herbs are more potent than fresh, so you’ll need three times the amount of fresh herbs when substituting for dry.
- We have a double-oven here at my house, so we were able to cook the mushrooms and the chicken parmesan at the same time. If you only have one oven, I’d recommend making the chicken parmesan first. Keep the lid on after it has cooked and turn the heat down to 375F. Cook mushrooms and pasta noodles at the same time and then serve with chicken parmesan. Don’t worry, it will stay hot on the top of your stove with the lid on. Dutch ovens are magical that way.
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