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Creamy spinach, basil & chicken pasta

Creamy spinach, basil & chicken pasta in two bowls

Creamy spinach, basil & chicken pasta

Name: Creamy spinach, basil & chicken pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 300g long pasta (we used mafaldine); 2 tbsp leftover chicken fat (from the roast chicken recipe, below); 1 onion finely chopped; 1 red chilli finely chopped, or 1 tsp chilli flakes; 4 leftover roasted garlic cloves mashed; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 200ml white wine; 300g spinach; 200g-300g leftover chicken shredded (from the roast chicken recipe, below); ½ lemon juiced; small handful of basil leaves chopped into fine ribbons; 200g crème fraîche

Ailsa Burt

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Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 25 mins

A star rating of 4 out of 5.7 ratingsRate

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Roast a chicken, then transform it into this speedy weeknight pasta dish with the help of spinach, basil, garlic and crème fraîche

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

300g long pasta

(we used mafaldine)
2 tbsp leftover chicken fat

(from the roast chicken recipe, below)
1 onion

finely chopped
1 red chilli

finely chopped, or 1 tsp chilli flakes
4 leftover roasted garlic cloves

mashed
2 tbsp tomato purée
200ml white wine
300g spinach
200g-300g leftover chicken

shredded (from the roast chicken recipe, below)
½ lemon

juiced
small handful of basil

leaves chopped into fine ribbons
200g crème fraîche

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal721
fat36g
saturates18g
carbs63g
sugars7g
fibre5g
protein25g
salt1g

Method

step 1

Cook the pasta following pack instructions and reserve a mugful of the cooking water. Heat the leftover chicken fat in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and cook for 8-10 mins until softened. Mix in the chilli, garlic and tomato purée, then cook for a further 5 mins until the purée has caramelised. Pour in the wine and simmer for 2-3 mins until almost completely reduced.
step 2

Mix in the spinach and leftover chicken along with a splash of the reserved cooking water. Cook for 3-4 mins until the chicken is heated through, then squeeze in some lemon juice, and add most of the basil, the crème fraîche and cooked pasta. Mix in a splash of cooking liquid to bring it all together, then season to taste, adding more lemon juice if needed. Scatter over the remaining basil to serve.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2024

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.7 ratings

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