Chicken with Vodka Sauce (Penne Alla Vodka)
If you’re in search of the perfect pasta dish, look no further! Chicken Penne Alla Vodka offers a wonderful combination of flavors with its rich, creamy vodka sauce served over seared chicken and penne pasta. The sauce embodies an acidic tomato flavor that ends in a slightly sweet, silky finish with a subtle hint of booze to please your palate! This is my go to recipe when I’m craving something hearty, savory and creamy (which is practically every night). The best part of this recipe is that although it tastes complex, it’s quite easy to make!
I’ve read many theories on the origin of Chicken Penne Alla Vodka, or as I like to call it – chicken with pasta and vodka sauce. Some say it was developed in New York City by an Italian chef, some say it was invented in Italy itself. Either way, it’s a popular Italian dish no matter who invented the idea. My recipe is based on chicken, but this sauce also pairs well with lobster, shrimp or even veggies for my vegetarians out there! There is also big potential for spicy food lovers like myself when you add in crushed red pepper. Why not give it a try?
What You’ll Need
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 box of penne
- 1/8 cup parmesan
- 1 spanish onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup vodka
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 leaves fresh basil
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
How You’ll Make It
Start by cooking your chicken. For the best flavor when cooking chicken, I find that searing in a cast iron skillet works best. You will need to butterfly the chicken breast (cutting it in half lengthwise) otherwise it will be too thick to cook through without burning. Once the chicken has been cut, season with salt and pepper and allow it to get to room temperature. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and add about 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook chicken for about 3 minutes on each side. Remember that it’s less about time and more about what the temperature probe says! Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. I like to give the chicken a splash of vodka right before taking it off the heat to deglaze the pan and give the chicken that golden brown color. Set the chicken aside to cool and tent with foil.
Before I begin making the vodka sauce, I get started on the pasta. Fill a pot with water, add salt, and bring it to a boil. It takes the water about 10 minutes to get to a boil and another 10 minutes for the pasta to cook so make sure this is done while you are making your sauce for time efficiency.
Now for the fun part – vodka sauce! Start by chopping a Spanish onion as you heat your pan. Add olive oil and onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in minced garlic for an additional minute until fragrant. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper followed by a splash of vodka.
Tomato time. Add in your 28 oz can of san Marzano tomatoes (Cento is my favorite brand – I will not compromise!) and simmer on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tsp garlic powder, 3 leaves fresh basil (cut into tiny shreds), 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Begin crushing the tomatoes but no need to go too crazy with it as we are going to blend everything together in a food processor. Next, add in ¼ cup of vodka and stir for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Remove the sauce from heat and add both the ½ cup heavy cream and 1/8 cup of parmesan cheese. Transfer the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth. At this point, you can modify the taste as you prefer. Some like a few dashes of crushed red pepper for an added kick, some like a little extra cream to make the texture more silky. Both ways taste lovely!
Ready to eat? Good. Serve the vodka sauce over the cooked penne and chicken. I’ve seen that most people prefer the chicken to be cut into bite sized pieces and blended into the pasta and vodka sauce, but I always prefer to have the chicken on the side. Garnish with some fresh herbs or maybe a little extra parmesan and you’re good to go. You can freeze any leftover sauce for up to 4 months or refrigerate for 4 days. Enjoy!
Chicken with Vodka Sauce (Penne Alla Vodka)
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 box penne pasta
- 1/8 cup shredded parmesan
- 1 spanish onion
- 6 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 28 oz canned tomatoes Cento brand preferred
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 leaves fresh basil
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts lengthwise and season each side with salt and pepper. Allow to get to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook chicken about 3 minutes per side based on thickness until it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉. Add a splash of vodka the last minute of cooking to deglaze the pan and add a golden brown color to the chicken. Remove from pan and tent with foil.
- Chop one whole spanish onion and mince garlic while bringing a pot to medium-high heat. Once heated, add the olive oil. Cook onions about 1-2 minutes until translucent and add in garlic. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add a splash of vodka.
- Add the entire 28 oz can of canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic and crush tomatoes until slightly chunky. A potato masher works best.
- Add 1 tbsp parsley. 1 tsp garlic powder, 3 chopped basil leaves, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Pour about ¼ cup vodka and stir. After about 4 minutes, drop heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- While simmering, boil the pasta separately in salted water for 10-13 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Remove the sauce from heat and add both the ½ cup heavy cream and 1/8 cup of parmesan cheese. Transfer the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Mix the sauce into the pasta. Serve with chicken. Enjoy!