Chicken Rotini

As many of you probably already know, Jen and I love to cook. When I say cook, I don't mean that we wear cute little aprons and fight over who gets to tear open the cheese packet to mix with the macaroni. At the very least we attempt to create a culinary orgasm once a week. We have now decided to share some of these delights. The first in a series of recipes is our Chicken Rotini. This is a simple recipe that any level cook could feel good about serving.

Ingredients:

1 lg chicken breast (or 2 small) 1 16 oz box of rotini noodles

1 lg shallot (or 2 small) 1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce 1 t kosher salt

1/2 t garlic salt 1/2 t dried basil

1/2 t dried oregano 1/2 t dried cumin

1/2 t seasoned pepper 1/2 t fresh ground pepper

1 dash of paprika 1 T parsley

1 T chives 1 t non-pareil capers (in water)

1-2 t brown sugar 1 oz Jim Beam whiskey (optional)

Bring water to boil in large pot with 1T olive oil and 1T kosher salt, add rotini. Chop shallots in to slices. Add shallots, spices, brown sugar, and capers to large sauce pan with 3T of extra virgin olive oil. Saute shallots and seasonings until shallots are translucent and browned. Deglaze the pan with the whiskey and stir in diced tomatoes. Simmer for about 1 minute and add chicken(diced to about 3/4" cubes). Cook chicken through then add tomato sauce. Reduce heat and simmer until noodles are done. Strain noodles and remove sauce from heat. Serve noodles topped with sauce and garnish with parsley. You also can add 1 cup diced mushrooms to this dish for additional succulence (add with tomato sauce).