Best Spring Chicken Ragu Recipes

Spring Chicken Ragu image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 whole chicken breasts (1 3/4 pounds), bone in, split and skinned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
4 canned plum tomatoes, seeded and quartered
12 baby carrots, peeled and trimmed
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 leek (about 6 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch rounds, well washed
1 cup shelled peas, preferably fresh
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Steps:

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add chicken, and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 7 minutes total.
Add stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and cover. Cook on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes; remove chicken, and set aside.
Add carrots to skillet, and cook, covered, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, leeks, and peas, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile, pull chicken from bone, and shred into large bite-size pieces. Return chicken to skillet, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with sprigs of parsley, if desired.

SPRING CHICKEN RAGU image

Categories Chicken

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 17

3 small pieces split chicken breast, bone-in, skin-on
2 bay leaves
2 medium onions
2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 small to medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 small rib celery, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
A few sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup white wine
1 cup whole milk
A little freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 pound papardelle or fettuccini
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (for a nutty taste) or grated Pecorino-Romano (if you prefer a sharp, tangy taste) for tossing with pasta and for passing at table
1 cup basil, loosely packed

Steps:

Rinse and dry chicken breasts. Place chicken in a medium Dutch oven or other pot with tight fitting lid. Add a few bay leaves to pot. Peel and quarter an onion, leaving the root end in tact. Arrange with chicken and bay leaves then add water to the pot to come up to the top of chicken without covering it. Bring to a boil and drop heat to simmer. Cover pot and poach chicken about 15-20 minutes. Cool meat, strain and reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid. Remove skin and bones and shred meat into small pieces with forks or your hands. Heat EVOO in Dutch oven, a couple of turns of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, a medium onion, finely chopped and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme and cook 8 minutes to soften. Add tomato paste and stir 1 minute. Stir in wine then reserved cooking liquids. Add chicken to sauce and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and stir in milk, then season with a little nutmeg. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes over low heat. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Add papardelle or fettuccini and cook to al dente. Reserve a ladle of starchy cooking liquid just before draining pasta. Toss drained pasta with cooking liquid, half the sauce and a handful of cheese.