Italian Recipe - Papi's Pasta with Chicken

This Italian recipe is one which my dad taught me, he is Italian and nearly all I ate growing up was Italian food, so a lot of pasta was eaten in our house! This pasta has a little something extra beyond that ordinary Italian pasta, and now I cook it for the kids in my family (use the bow tie pasta for a big hit!).

Ingredients

8 ounces (3 cups) uncooked dried farfalle (bow tie) or penne pasta 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips 

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh garlic (we LOVE garlic, so if you do not , decrease this to 1 teaspoon.) 

1 cup cooked canned pumpkin 

1/2 cup chicken broth 

3/4 cup whipping cream (use the heavy whipping cream, the flavor is worth it!) 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans 

Italian Cooking

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm. 
   
2. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet until sizzling; add chicken and garlic. 
   
3. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center (8 to 10 minutes). 
   
4. Add cooked pasta. 
   
5. Combine pumpkin, chicken broth, whipping cream, sage and salt in medium bowl. 
   
6. Mix very well until completely blended. 
   
7. Pour over pasta mixture; gently toss to coat. 
   
8. Cook over medium heat until heated through (3 to 5 minutes). 
   
9. Sprinkle with pecans. 
   

If you do not care for the strips of chicken, a variation of this Italian recipe which I sometimes do is to prepare the pasta dish, and cook the chicken as one piece, and place the breast on top of the pasta dish. Of course it will still have to be cut up, but it does make for a lovely presentation.  This Italian recipe is a twist on an age old favorite your whole family will enjoy.