- I'm gonna show you how to make chicken scampi pasta.
You're gonna love this sauce.
(upbeat music)
(Natasha grunts)
Hey everybody, it's Natasha of natashaskitchen.com.
You guys are gonna love this chicken pasta.
It is such an easy recipe.
It comes together fast, and that's why I like to have
everything prepped and ready to go before I hit the stove.
My whole family loves this pasta dish,
and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a new favorite for you.
So let's get started.
(counter thuds)
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Because this recipe cooks up fast,
you want to have all of your ingredients prepped
and ready to go.
Season one and a half pounds of chicken tenders
with one and a half teaspoons of salt
and half a teaspoon of black pepper.
I love using chicken tenders for this recipe
because you don't have to trim them or cut them.
And they're more forgiving and less likely
to be over cooked.
Once they're seasoned on all sides,
dip the chicken tenders into flour, dusting off the excess.
Once the chicken tenders are all dredged in flour,
transfer those to a cutting board or a platter
and set them aside.
You'll also need one third cup
of finely chopped fresh parsley.
And I like to chop a little extra to garnish
the finished pasta.
Also, peel and mince four garlic cloves.
You should get about one tablespoon of minced garlic
when it's all chopped up.
You'll need one fourth cup of fresh lemon juice
from one large lemon.
But before you juice a lemon, make sure to zest it first.
Once you cut a lemon and juice it,
it's nearly impossible to get the zest.
You'll need about one teaspoon of lemon zest.
I'm using a pretty large and very juicy lemon here
to get one fourth cup of lemon juice.
If you have smaller lemons, you'll probably need two.
Make sure, make sure, you use a fresh lemon juice
and not lemon juice concentrate, or it will ruin your sauce.
All right, I'm going to fish out any stray seeds
that got into my juice and it's time to fire up the stove
and start cooking the pasta.
You'll need 12 ounces of spaghetti.
Cook that in salted water,
according to the package instructions until it's al dente
or firm to the bite.
For a really great tasting pasta,
make sure you generously season the water.
I added two tablespoons of salt here to my pasta water.
Make sure to stir your pasta periodically
so it doesn't stick together and cook
until it's just al dente.
While the pasta is cooking,
we're gonna get started on the chicken.
Place a large deep skillet over medium high heat
and add one tablespoon of olive oil
and one tablespoon of unsalted butter.
Once the butter is melted and finished sizzling,
add your chicken tenders in a single layer
and saute for about two minutes per side,
or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
We're gonna check the pasta for doneness
and make sure you reserve half a cup
of the pasta cooking water to add to the sauce later.
Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot
and partially cover to keep it warm.
Once the chicken is cooked through,
transfer that to a plate,
then add another tablespoon of oil and butter to the pan
and repeat with the second batch of chicken.
You can cut into the thickest piece of chicken
to test for doneness or make sure it reaches
165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer.
Once all of the chicken is done cooking,
transfer it to a platter
and in the same skillet,
we're gonna add three fourths cup of dry white wine.
Return the pan to medium high heat and scrape
the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
Cook that down for about five minutes
or until the wine has reduced
to about one fourth cup of liquid.
Add four tablespoons of unsalted butter
and whisk to melt that in.
Next, add your minced garlic and continue mixing
for another 30 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant.
To finish the sauce, turn off the stove
and add one fourth cup of lemon juice,
one teaspoon of lemon zest and the freshly chopped parsley.
Whisk the sauce together then season to taste.
I added another half a teaspoon of salt.
Add the chicken tenders back to the pan,
along with any accumulated juices on the plate
and turn the tenders in the sauce to coat them.
Because we dredge the chicken tenders in flour,
it helps the tenders to absorb some of that sauce
so that every bite has amazing flavor.
All right.
All that's left to do is to assemble and serve,
and I am ready for this taste test.
All right.
And if you cook everything together,
then it's all hot at the same time.
Okay, so our pasta.
Make sure it's ready to go.
There we go.
It's still steamy.
So just put that into a serving bowl.
Big old pasta bowl.
Because this is best served family style.
I like to throw it all together
and just put it on the table.
It's so easy.
And, next thing I like to spoon off the sauce from the pan
over the pasta.
And that's what we're gonna do.
Just tilt the pan.
Spoon out those yummy sauce juices.
Oh, it's so good.
This sauce has a real zing to it
and it has amazing depth of flavor from the wine,
the garlic, the parsley,
everything about this is good.
So good.
Ooh, it's getting heavy.
Okay and then just toss it in with the pasta.
Just to get the noodles coated and buttery.
Just a smidge more sauce.
I love that there's plenty of sauce.
The sauce is rich, but at the same time it feels light
because it's so lemony.
Yummy yum.
And now just add the chicken on top.
Okay.
And then you see the pan juices that are still in there.
We're just gonna drizzle that over the top.
And seriously, those pan juices are so good.
We don't want to leave any of this behind.
So what I love to do is I love to take some of that
hot pasta cooking water.
Pour it in the pan.
Just a little bit.
And that deglazes the pan.
Just to get every drop of flavor that you can.
So good.
And then I also really love to add some fresh parsley
just to give it some vibrant color.
We love the pop of flavor, pop of color, as I always say.
Okay, and be generous.
Okay, now all that's left to do is to plate this and enjoy.
So that's exactly what we're gonna do.
I don't have my plate or my fork.
I'm hungry.
I'm gonna try to stay composed through the taste test.
All right.
So to serve it, just put it in a bowl.
And this pairs so well with a fresh veggie side.
Maybe some roasted asparagus
or a Greek or Mediterranean salad
would be amazing with this pasta.
And I love twirling pasta like this
if you're gonna serve it because it creates a little nest
of pasta and it just looks really pretty.
Okay, that looks good.
A few pieces of chicken,
Maybe add a little bit more parsley.
And then I love to serve this with a little bit
of freshly shredded Parmesan.
And if you don't have one of these already, they're so fun.
You put the cheese inside and then you just grate it
over your pasta.
It kind of feels like restaurant style.
It feels fancy.
My kids love it too.
They fight over who's gonna use it.
Okay, looks good.
Lots of cheese.
Okay.
Now the taste test.
I'm excited.
Okay.
Just gonna get a little bit of everything here.
A little bit of chicken, a little bit of pasta.
Twirl that onto my fork.
And I want to know how you guys eat your pasta.
Do you take the spoon and the fork
and just like make the little twirly whirly
or do you just go for it?
Not everybody's patient enough for the twirly whirly.
Ooh, that's a big bite.
Oh no.
I'm in trouble. (giggles)
Oh man.
It's gonna be squirrel cheeks over here.
Here we go.
(Natasha giggles)
Hang on, I'm still chewing.
(Natasha chuckles)
Oh my goodness.
That was such an enjoyable bite.
I love that sauce.
And you will too.
I love how vibrant and fresh it is with the lemon juice,
the garlic, the parsley,
and then that white wine really brings it all together
and gives this so much depth of flavor.
It totally tastes like something you'd get
out of a fancy restaurant.
For real, you guys.
And I have to have more of this chicken.
(laughs) It just makes my mouth water.
I love how dredging it in the flour
makes it so that it soaks up some of that sauce.
And every bite is just so enjoyable.
Mhmm.
Also, use chicken tenders because they're so tender.
I mean, they're called chicken tenders for a reason.
They're a little bit more forgiving.
Even if you overcook them a little bit like I did today,
they're still super tender and juicy.
I can't wait to eat the rest of this.
So, we'll see you in our next video.
(Natasha chuckles)