French Onion Pasta
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Servings: 6
A creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with all of the flavours of French onion soup!
ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
4 large onions, sliced
2 tablespoons oil
1 pound boneless and skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon (smoked) paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (optional)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
3 cup beef broth
8 ounces pasta (gluten-free for gluten-free)
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce (gluten-free for gluten-free) (optional)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
1 cup gruyere cheese (or swiss), shredded (optional)
directions
Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook until caramelized, about 1 hour, mixing every few minutes. When the bottom of the pan starts to collect brown bits, add 1/4 cup of water and scrape the brown bits up off the bottom, and continue to cook.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in another pan, over medium heat, add the chicken, seasoned with the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook, about 8-10 minutes, before setting aside.
Add the mushrooms to the pan that the chicken was cooked in, and cook, about 8-10 minutes, before setting aside.
When the onions are cooked, add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the broth, chicken, mushrooms, pasta, worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, and dijon mustard, mix, bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes, mixing every few minutes.
Add the cream and parmesan, mix and let it melt into the sauce.
Sprinkle the gruyere over the top, let it melt and enjoy!
Option: Cook the pasta separately, reducing the broth from 3 cups to 1 cup, and adding teh cooked and drained pasta after simmering the sauce in step 5.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar, along with the broth.
Option: To melt the gruyere, either cover and cook on the stop top for a few minutes, or transfer to the oven and broil for a minute.
