Penne and Vodka Sauce with Chicken

 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 1/2 pounds (about 4 small) chicken breast, 1/2 inch dice

1 medium shallot, diced

1/2 c. sweet onion, small dice

3 large or 4 medium cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you cannot handle spice)

1/2 cup vodka

1 Tbsp tomato paste (from a tube)

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (more or less depending on your taste)

2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

3/4 c. half and half (use heavy cream if you want)

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

16 oz penne pasta (I used organic, large cut penne)

1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped

Additional Parmesan cheese for serving 

In a 6 qt Dutch Oven, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Salt and pepper diced chicken and cook over medium heat just until browned, but not cooked through. Remove chicken from stock pot into a bowl. You will finish cooking the chicken later.

Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to Dutch oven, add, shallot, sweet onion and garlic, and cook until they are soft and translucent. Stir constantly to avoid burning. Add red pepper flakes and give it a good stir. By now you should have some brown bits on the bottom of your Dutch oven. Add vodka and carefully scrap up the brown bits to deglaze the pan. Continue boiling until liquid is reduced by about half. Add the tomato paste and stir well. You should have a slurry of yummy goodness on the bottom of your pan.

Now add your crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and parsley. Add the partially cooked chicken back to the pot and bring to a boil, then turn down burner to a simmer. Cover your Dutch oven partially to allow steam to escape, but to keep contents from bubbling outside your pan. Cook the sauce for at least 20 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.

At this point, bring a large stock pot of water, generously salted to a boil. Depending upon how much time it takes to cook the penne pasta, drop the pasta and cook until just al dente. Drain pasta thoroughly and set aside to keep warm.

Add the half and half and grated Parmesan cheese to the red sauce. Stir well, but do not boil hard. Add the cooked, drained pasta to the sauce and give it a good stir. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Just before serving, top with fresh basil and grate additional Parmesan Cheese to each serving of pasta.

Serve immediately and enjoy. This is a creamy, rich, peppery sauce that is hard to stop eating. I served mine with fresh steamed green beans, but it would taste great with a salad. Serve bread if you want. We tried to save carbs by not eating bread on the side, but for those who love bread with pasta, it would be great for scooping up the last bits of sauce in your bowl!