Chicken ragú for tortellini

Last night, I was reading through some of my recipes, and I found this one. This was back about a year ago, when my neighbors from the house next door, were still living with me as a result of the Great Lisle Flood Of 2013. In the freezer I had four bags of frozen tortellini that my housemates bought, and some frozen chicken that I bought. That sounded like a plan.

I remember I told my housemates, that I was making a pasta sauce with chicken and peppers. One of them warily asked, “W-w-what kind of peppers?” I answered that the peppers were bell peppers and I saw the worry dissipate from their faces. During the time they lived with me, they’ve come to know my fondness for hot peppers. Well, I guess their hesitation was justified. I admit, I’ve tested their tolerance levels more than once. I’ve left the hot peppers out of this recipe, so you have no reason to worry either.

1 lb. frozen chicken, cut into strips

Olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

5 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cajun seasoning

Adobo seasoning

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 cup Marsala

1 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste

Frozen tortellini

Preparation

Heat a large braising pan which has a tight fitting lid. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and add the chicken strips (you don’t have to thaw them first). Sprinkle the chicken with cajun and adobo seasoning. Cover and let that cook for about five minutes. Turn the chicken over and add the peppers, onion and garlic. Add the black pepper, basil, marjoram and thyme. Cover and let that cook for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the Marsala and the San Marzano tomatoes. Break them up with a knife and fork. Add the tomato paste and rinse out the cans with a little more Marsala and add that to the sauce. Stir to dissolve the paste. Cover and simmer, stirring often while you put water on to boil the tortellini. Cook the tortellini and you’re ready to serve.

Serving

We served this very simply. Pile on a big bunch of tortellini. Smother it in the sauce. Sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese. Now add some homemade garlic bread, a salad, a bowl of olives and open a bottle of Italian red wine.