Chicken Fusilli Pasta and Roasted Pepper Sauce

Chicken Fusilli Pasta and Roasted Pepper Sauce
Recipe by Dragon

I picked up some gorgeous peppers at the market yesterday and I knew immediately how I wanted to prepare them. I've been making this roasted pepper sauce for a while now and it's always a hit when I serve it to friends and family. There is a little time required to roast and prepare the peppers but it is completely worth the effort. Roasting peppers enhances their sweetness. You can substitute the chicken with shrimp, beef and even tofu. You can also mix up the peppers but I'd stay away from the green ones for this dish. Enjoy!

Serves: 2 mains or 4 sides

Ingredients:

2 red peppers, cut in half and remove seeds
1 yellow pepper, cut in half and remove seeds
1 orange pepper, cut in half and remove seeds
2 1/2 cups fusilli pasta
2 chicken breasts, cut into large dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (or less depending on your taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Splash of white wine (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 heavy cream
1/2 cup green peas, thawed if frozen
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Grated parmesan to garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees or broil.

2. On a cookie sheet, place peppers and drizzle each one with olive oil. Make sure each pepper is well coated in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Char the peppers in the oven, turning them until the skin is completely charred. Place peppers in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The steam will loosen the skins. When the peppers are cool, scrape the skins off with a knife, cut into large pieces and set aside.

3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and reserve.

4. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with a little salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook the chicken until it is brown on all sides. Set aside and keep warm.

5. To the sauté pan, add the onions, chili flakes and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Add a splash of white wine and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add the reserved peppers, chicken broth and cream. Bring to a boil and remove it from the heat.

6. Purée sauce in a blender (hot liquid, be careful!) until very smooth, about 1 minute.

7. In the pan used to cook the pasta, combine the cooked pasta, pepper sauce, peas and cooked chicken. Toss gently to coat the pasta and warm the peas. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

8. Serve, garnished with some grated parmesan.