CopyKat's Biltmore Estate Chicken Breasts Over Blue Cheese Rigatoni

Creamy blue cheese sauce and a lightly fried chicken breast pair together beautifully in this pasta dish which was "recreated" by Stephanie Manley with Copykat Recipes and was originally on the menu at the Biltmore Hotel. Our son, who isn't a fan of blue cheese even had seconds on this scrumptious dish.

Although there wasn't a scrap of food left from this meal, I think if I had to make any changes to this dish, I might choose to use a thin cut chicken breast versus the "full sized" version. In her original recipe, Stephanie called for 4-6 oz chicken breasts and I think the smaller breast or even smaller, would have fit beautifully into this recipe. I found that the larger chicken breasts weighed down the dish to much. Another choice, especially as I am changing my eating habits, is that I might make is to grill the breast after marinading it in and not fry it at all. In my opinion, the heaviness of the fried chicken added to the heaviness of the dish and somewhat detracted from a spectacular blue cheese pasta.

Serve with a side salad, french bread and, of course, either a Riesling or a Chardonnay for a perfectly rounded out meal.

So, here we go! :

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
12 ounces rigatoni
1/3 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish, if desired

Directions (copied from CopyKat Biltmore Chicken Cooking Directions):

TO MARINATE CHICKEN: Lightly pound each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. In a glass or porcelain dish, combine the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Marinate the chicken in this mixture, covered, in the refrigerator, for not more than 2 hours.

TO MAKE SAUCE: In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and remaining teaspoon of garlic and cook stirring, over low heat, for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil, add the sage and parsley and remove from the heat. Set aside until later.

TO MAKE PASTA AND COOK CHICKEN: In a stock pot, bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for about 12 minutes or according to directions on the box. Meanwhile remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Dip the chicken lightly in the seasoned flour on both sides. In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until completely cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and loosely cover with foil, keep warm. Add the white wine to the skillet and boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until there are only 2 tablespoons of liquid in the pan. Add the reserved cream mixture and bring to a boil, add the Blue Cheese and Parmesan cheeses and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

TO ASSEMBLE DISH: Drain the pasta and return it to the cooking pan, add the sauce and toss until well combined. Divide the pasta between 4 dishes and top each portion with chicken. Garnish the chicken with minced parsley and serve immediately.