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Spicy Chicken Pasta with Ricotta and Basil

DELICOIUS spicy Tuscan pasta sauce tossed with Nashville Hot fried chicken and fresh ricotta and basil. It is sure to be a new favorite!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Sauce1 hour
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Fresh, fresh herbs, fresh vegetables, fried chicken, italian, italian cooking, italian food, nashville hot chicken, pasta, pasta sauce, pomarola sauce, ricotta, spaghetti, spicy, tomato sauce, tuscan, tuscany, yum
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

SAUCE

  • 2 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes
  • 2/3 sweet or yellow, onion, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley
  • 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 large basil leaves
  • salt to taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp Nashville Hot Chicken spice blend website link posted above
  • 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt

Chicken

  • 2  chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 1 cup  AP Flour or Gluten free AP flour
  • 1 cup ITALIAN bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp Nashville hot blend
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2  eggs, beaten
  • 2 tbsp   water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • vegetable oil for frying

Pasta

  • 3/4 box of bow tie pasta, cooked al dente reserve 1/4 cup pasta water
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • fresh basil leaves torn, 3 to for per serving

Instructions

  • Start by cutting the tomatoes in half and gently squeezing out the seeds
    Chop, the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley.
    Put in a medium sized dutch oven or sauce pot.
  • Let simmer on LOW for 1 hour, mixing every now and then.
  • After 1 hour the veges will be soft and squishable.
  • Move to a food mill or food processor.
    If you are using a food processor, puree and strain to get rid of the mash/tomato skin and seed.
    Now season with Nashville hot chicken blend, salt, 4 tbsp. olive oil, and the chopped basil. Stir well and set aside.

Chicken

  • Half the chicken breasts and smash to a thin strip with a kitchen mallet. Try to make even as possible. Season each breast on both sides with salt and pepper.
    In a shallow bowl combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Mix.
    In another bowl pour in the flour, Nashville Hot blend, and oregano.
    Last bowl combine eggs and water.
    One piece at a time, dip the chicken in the flour, then egg draining off a bit, and finish in the bread mix. Make sure the bread is covering the breasts well and press to be sure it sticks.
    Mover to a baking sheet, or plate to rest while you finish coating all the chicken.
    In a frying pan heat the oil over medium heat. Place as many breasts as can fit into the pan and sauté 8-10 minutes per side. Keep a close eye not to burn. It should be a nice golden brown. I like to cut one open and see if its cooked all the way or use a thermometer. It should read 165° Cooking time varies on size of chicken and pan so just keep an eye on cooking times and know what works for you!
    After cooked, move to a cutting board to rest. Finish cooking any remaining pieces, adding oil and again if needed. Let them rest for 10 minutes before cutting or serving.

Assembly

  • To assemble, cook pasta until al dente, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
    Back to the pasta pot goes the pasta, pasta water, the chicken and all but a couple tablespoons of the sauce. Mix together and serve.
    Finish off with a couple dollops of ricotta, fresh basil, and some of the reserved pasta.
  • ENJOY!