Pasta With Chicken and Asparagus Ragu
Published Sept. 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½cup finely chopped white onion
- ½cup finely chopped carrot
- ½cup finely chopped celery
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 1pound ground chicken (preferably dark meat) or ground pork
- 1cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½cup heavy cream
- 1fresh oregano sprig
- 1pound short pasta, such as gemelli or fusilli
- 1pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced ¼-inch-thick (about 2½ cups)
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
- ½cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- ¼cup chopped chives, plus more for garnishing
- ½teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
871 calories; 34 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 97 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 46 grams protein; 1136 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high.
- Step 2
In a large Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrot and celery; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Add broth, heavy cream and oregano sprig and bring to a simmer, stirring and spreading the meat in an even layer to keep it submerged in the liquid. Cover, adjust heat to medium-low and cook until chicken is tender and cooked through, 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has reduced by half, about 5 minutes longer. Discard oregano sprig.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente, adding asparagus during the last 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain.
- Step 6
Add pasta mixture and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to the chicken ragu and cook over medium, stirring vigorously, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and add lemon juice, cheese, chives and crushed red pepper (if using) and stir until pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 7
Divide pasta among bowls and top each with more cheese and chives. Serve warm.
Private Notes
Comments
This made for a hearty, yet still somewhat light and summery, pasta. Made it with turkey because it was a lot easier to find high-quality ground turkey than chicken. Go figure.
This is a great dish. I used pork instead of chicken and subbed Crimini mushrooms for celery. Added a bit more cream at the end. Used a whole what pasta from Sicily. Absolutely marvellous and a big hit.
Made with ground turkey and found the meat was amazingly tender yet the flavor overall awfully subtle. Next time I’ll add some tomato past and anchovy to the softened veg at the start. But I will make this again!
Tasty dish with good reviews from the family. I forgot the lemon juice and used diced chicken breast. It reminded us pleasantly of chicken pot pie. Added some sun dried tomatoes and some fresh basil we had that needed to be used. A flexible, easy and tasty sauce. Agree that you need the sauce to condense - it then makes a nice creamy texture.
I’m perplexed by the cream which is just more liquid without any discernible improvement in taste and, given that this is very watery without the added cream, I would def skip it. I’d leave out the carrot too - it doesn’t play nicely with the asparagus flavor-wise, but I guess if you’re after a confetti look, carrots help? So would sweet red pepper which would probably actually complement the asparagus. Also, double the lemon juice, red pepper and the parm. Leave off the chives (no distinctive taste at all). Make sure the liquid is cooked down before adding the pasta mixture and go easy on the added pasta water. Otherwise, it’s a good weeknight meal you can prepare on the weekend.
I substituted Greek yogurt, reduced fat, for the heavy cream, and it added a nice tang! I also added in lemon zest as another reviewer had suggested, and doubled both the garlic and the oregano. While the dish is tasty in terms of lemon and asparagus, I'd say that the Ground Chicken is not noticeable, at all. Oh, and it makes more than 4 servings, more like 6-8!!
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