Peppercorns Around the World: Pasta with Peppered Chicken
December/January 1992
By Susan Belsinger and Carolyn Dille
Serves 4 to 6
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Pepper’s pungency plays off the flavors of starches and mild meats especially well. For a vegetarian version of pasta with pepper, toss hot pasta with the Spicy Butter with Four Peppercorns, some lemon juice, and chopped savory or parsley; serve with parmesan cheese.
• 1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, cracked
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
• Salt to taste
• 2 or 3 sprigs savory or parsley
• 12 ounces dry ribbon noodles, such as linguine
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Skin and bone the chicken breasts and cut them on the diagonal into strips about 3/8 inch wide. Toss the chicken with the cracked pepper, the garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Marinate, covered and refrigerated, for an hour or as long as overnight.
When ready to serve, bring ample water to boil to cook the pasta.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and lightly brown it all over, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for about 8 minutes.
Cook the pasta until it is just done. While the pasta is cooking, chop the savory or parsley leaves and add them to the chicken. Adjust the sauce with lemon juice and/or salt to taste.
Drain the pasta and toss it with the chicken. Serve the dish hot, and pass the parmesan separately.
— Susan Belsinger and Carolyn Dille, respectively from Brookeville, Maryland, and San Jose, California, are innovative food developers and coauthors of such jewels as Herbs in the Kitchen (Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press, 1992) and the spicy New Southwestern Cooking (New York: Macmillan, 1985).