Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Nothing cheers me up more than being curled up on the couch while HUGE snowflakes fall outside the window on a Sunday afternoon while doing a little work.  Each January at PepsiCo, the insights teams are working to analyze what happened the prior year…the good, the bad, and the ugly to inform future strategy.  This usually entails a few later night work days.  Since cooking is a release for me after a long day, I try and have quick options on hand that I can throw together....something ‘Real Simple.’  That is exactly where I found this recipe, in Real Simple, one of my favorite magazines.   I tend to find a good amount of recipes in there that include rotisserie chicken as an ingredient to make cooking times quicker.  If you plan correctly over the weekend, you can have rotisserie chicken with some greens as a side and then use the leftovers the next night in a dish like this…two dinners in one!  I definitely recommend to use gemelli…it is a nice change from the basic penne.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3/4 pound gemelli

1 cup frozen peas

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (about half of a 2- to 2 1/2-pound bird)

5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)

Salt and black pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last minute of cooking. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and peas and reserve the pot.

Melt the butter in the pasta pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the cream, chicken, spinach, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the pot and cook until the chicken is warmed through and the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pasta and peas and toss to combine (add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry). Serve with the Parmesan.

Recipe Source: Real Simple

Picture Source: Real Simple & Lindsay Klindt