Chicken Stroganoff-Inspired Pasta

This dish is a delightful twist from the original Russian recipe, Beef Stroganoff.  Beef Stroganoff had won the first prize award in a competition, ‘L’Art Culinaire’  in 1891 where it was presented by Charles Briére, an employee of the rich and powerful Stroganoff family. Legend has it that his patron Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganoff had lost all his teeth and his chef had especially prepared this recipe to overcome the Count’s handicap. The original recipe had beef, mushrooms and sour cream.

We are going to add ingredients that the original recipe calls for, plus add additional magical elements that will take our Stroganoff eating experience to heights unbeknownst to the Russians who created the original recipe.

The Cast of Characters:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced (you can add more if you love garlic)
• mushrooms, chopped (quantity depends on your preference)
• salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
• ½ cup sour cream (you can use yogurt too)
• 1 tablespoon flour

Now, the ingredients that are not part of the original recipe but that will greatly enhance the flavors are:

• 2 slices of beef bacon
• 1 cup chicken bouillon (you can also prepare the stock using chicken cubes)
• 2 chicken breasts, chopped into small cubes
• crushed red chili flakes (quantity depending on how hot you like your dish to be)
• a pinch of mixed dried herbs
• cooked pasta (of your choice)

Here’s how to whip up the magical potion:

1. Fry the beef bacon strips in a non-stick pan, until nice and crisp. Remove from pan, dice ‘em up into tiny pieces and set aside.
2. Add a teaspoon of oil in the same pan, and add the chicken pieces. Stir fry until its color turns a light brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, that already has the yummy drippings from the beef bacon strips and chicken, add the garlic and onions. Sauté until they soften and turn a soft brown.
4. Add the mushrooms. Stir fry a bit until the color changes.
5. Add salt (go easy on this since the bacon and chicken stock may already have salt in them), ground black pepper, crushed red chili flakes, and the mixed dried herbs. Stir well.
6. Add the chopped beef bacon and bouillon.
7. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and let simmer 10 minutes.
8. In a small bowl, mix together sour cream and flour.
9. Add this mixture into the pan. Bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat. Still constantly for about 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Serve over pasta.

I didn’t add much sauce onto the pasta bed because it doesn’t look pretty in the photographs. But you should see my plate right now as I am typing this…the rich, creamy sauce with bacon bits and mushroom have found their way into the spirals of my beautiful fusilli pasta. I may not be in Russia with a bite of this Stroganoff, but I am definitely in heaven.

Inspired by this recipe by Petra.