Peppered Chicken Sauteed in Olive Oil with Pasta in Pan Sauce

    Today we are offering a delicious peppered chicken thigh sauteed in olive oil and served with spaghetti mixed in a black olive, garlic and pan-roasted pignoli pan sauce. The idea behind this dish is to get away from the tomato and basil based sauces so typical of Italian-American cooking and get back to the more simple fare of Italian rural cooking while still retaining the elegant plating of fine dining.
     This meal came about because yesterday we were watching the Florence and Bologna episodes of Around The World in 80 Plates before dinner. It made us so hungry for Italian cuisine that we invented this dish and substituted it for the meal we had planned. It was delicious and satisfied our cravings for Italian rural style cooking.
     It is simple, quick and easy to prepare. Other than boiling and draining the pasta, all the cooking is done in one ten inch non-stick skillet which retains all of the good chicken flavoring in the sauce while minimizing the after dinner clean-up. So here is the recipe for your enjoyment.

SERVES:                 2
PREP TIME:           20 minutes +/-
COOKING TIME:   30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1. Two large chicken thighs with skin trimmed of any excess fat and skin.
2. Six ounces of dry spaghetti pasta. More if fresh pasta is used.
3. Twenty Kalamata olives cut crosswise on the diagonal.
4. Four cloves garlic, skinned and chopped fine.
5. One quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil.
6. Two tablespoons of chopped basil leaves.
7. Two tablespoons of pan-roasted pignolis(pine nuts).
7. One pinch of red pepper flakes.
8. Coarse ground black pepper and salt, and grated Parmesan cheese.

PREPARATION
The Pasta
1. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti for about nine minutes or until al dente.
2. Drain and stir into the warm pan sauce when prepared.
The Chicken Thighs
1. Trim the thighs of excess fat and skin.
2. Rub coarse ground black pepper on both sides then salt lightly.
3. Pour the olive oil in the ten inch saute pan; then on medium-low heat, cook the thighs for about seven to ten minutes loosely covered with aluminum foil. Turn and repeat until the internal temperature of the thickest part is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Reserve the cooked thighs in a warming oven at 150 to 200 degrees F. while the sauce is prepared.
The Pan Sauce
1. Reduce the pan's heat to very low and add the Kalamatas, garlic, roasted pignolis and red pepper flakes. Heat and stir until the garlic softens and starts to turn clear.
2. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil leaves and pasta until thoroughly mixed.

PLATING THE MEAL
1. Warm the plates to 150 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit so that they won't cool the food when it is served.
2. Place a chicken thigh, skin up, on each plate.
3. Twirl the pasta on a large cooking fork and place a twist vertically on each plate by the chicken. Add whatever Kalamatas, basil and garlic are left in the pan over the pasta and chicken.
4. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve.

Bon appetit,
Tom and Anita