A somehow exotic combination of ingredients turns out a most delicious meal, namely pasta with chicken, asparagus and lemon sauce. Vanilla is the extra ingredient that is used in the dry rub, along with chili powder and ground ginger, to spice the meat. If this sounds too freaky to you, just leave out the vanilla and/or ginger. I must say, however, that only very little vanilla and ginger is used in this mixture and they give a special touch, a distinctive character to this recipe. I would most certainly use the chili powder, though. I wouldn’t go without that spice.
This recipe is also a symbiosis of flavors that are typical for two seasons, winter and spring. Take the asparagus and the lemon, they stand for spring, even introducing summer, while vanilla and ginger are warm spices used in winter. Well then, isn’t this dish a symbol for these two seasons, with all the flavors and spices and what they stand for.
Basically, that’s also how I’m feeling right now. Dipping into the beginnings of the new season, being surrounded by this intense, deep green color, wherever you look. Smelling it, the freshness and new live. And at the same time, just as the weather here in Austria won’t allow us to get fully engulfed by any summer feeling (it’s still cold and rainy, almost snowing!), I still feel the need to use warm elements in my dishes.
Enough of my philosophical digression. I won’t bore you any longer! I’m sure you’ll love this recipe as it doesn’t take long to prepare and it tastes really delicious, no matter if winter-y or spring-y or both 😉
Enjoy!
Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus and Lemon Sauce
Serves 4
3-4 chicken breast fillets
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground vanilla or the scraped seeds of ½ vanilla bean
½ teaspoon chili powder
500 g (about 1 lb) tagliatelle
500 g (about 1 lb) green asparagus
1 lemon (juice)
½ (120 ml) cup white port wine
1 cup (240 ml) cream
salt, pepper
some olive oil
some lemon wedges for garnishing
Cut the chicken breasts into strips of about 2,5 cm (1 inch) thick and 5 cm (2 inches) long. Combine the salt, ginger, vanilla seeds and chili powder and rub the chicken with it.
Trim about 1 ½ inches (3-4 cm) of the ends of the asparagus. Cut the asparagus into chunks of about 1 ½ inches (3-4 cm). Bring water to the boil and cook the asparagus for a few minutes until tender but not too soft. Pour some of the cooking water into a cup to use for the sauce if it needs to be diluted later. Drain and shortly rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Cook the tagliatelle as indicated on the package. Drain and shortly rinse with cold water.
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Cook the chicken on all sides over medium to high heat until well done. Cover with a lid while cooking. Transfer onto a plate and cover with some foil to keep warm. Deglaze the pan with the white port wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add the cream and the lemon juice and allow to reduce a bit. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the tagliatelle, the chicken and the asparagus with the lemon sauce and make sure to serve it hot with some lemon wedges.
Here is the recipe for printing:
- 3-4 chicken breast fillets
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground vanilla or the scraped seeds of ½ vanilla bean
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 500 g (about 1 lb) tagliatelle
- 500 g (about 1 lb) green asparagus
- 1 lemon (juice)
- ½ (120 ml) cup white port wine
- 1 cup (240 ml) cream
- salt, pepper
- some olive oil
- some lemon wedges for garnishing
- Cut the chicken breasts into strips of about 2,5 cm (1 inch) thick and 5 cm (2 inches) long. Combine the salt, ginger, vanilla seeds and chili powder and rub the chicken with it.
- Trim about 1 ½ inches (3-4 cm) of the ends of the asparagus. Cut the asparagus into chunks of about 1 ½ inches (3-4 cm). Bring water to the boil and cook the asparagus for a few minutes until tender but not too soft. Pour some of the cooking water into a cup to use for the sauce if it needs to be diluted later. Drain and shortly rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- Cook the tagliatelle as indicated on the package. Drain and shortly rinse with cold water.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan. Cook the chicken on all sides over medium to high heat until well done. Cover with a lid while cooking. Transfer onto a plate and cover with some foil to keep warm. Deglaze the pan with the white port wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add the cream and the lemon juice and allow to reduce a bit. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the tagliatelle, the chicken and the asparagus with the lemon sauce and make sure to serve it hot with some lemon wedges.
