Cooking for One: Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms

I think most couples would agree with me that time apart is both a necessity and a drag. For every time we have felt that our loved one is crowding us, we have begun to miss them almost instantly when we have been separated. No one learned this lesson more than John and I did during the year we lived bi-coastally. John’s work and well-being took him to Los Angeles while mine kept me in New York City. We both commuted between the two, but that year was one of telephone calls, internet meetings, and frequent flyer miles. That situation has morphed into a full-blown transition between the two – more about that here. But even during this year of transition, we have spent periods apart, and aside from the emotional, even psychic, wear and tear, there are fundamental physical demands, one of the most pressing being feeding oneself.

I always say, “if I write about it, I live it,” and last year I launched Cooking for One as a content area at Urban Home Blog as John and I navigated this lesson among the others we were also navigating. That said, it is understood that it is not just people separated from their loved ones who need to cook for one. It is a skill that everyone needs to have, because we will all need to utilize it from time to time.

It is tempting for the solo diner to rely on take out carton and frozen food boxes, and there are times for that. But I strongly believe that it is healthy not just for the body but for the spirit for solo diners to make dinner for themselves. Nourishing oneself is the essence of taking care of oneself. And, luckily, it is not difficult to cook for oneself. One can grill a burger or cook up a bowl of soup. One can indulge in breakfast for dinner. One can make good comfort food, from salmon nestled on a bowl of lentils to chicken huddled against a pile of fragrant rice. There is even room for dessert. And there is pasta. Virtually no food is as friendly to cooking for one than a good ol’ pasta toss. One such cooking for one became of the most popular columns of the year, as we tossed a springtime tangle of loopy linquine, fresh asparagus, and earthy leeks. This spring, we toss sturdy whole wheat pasta with a simple luscious mushroom-cream sauce and add a quickly sautéed chicken breast. This original recipe is so good that it proves that cooking for one yields some of the best dinners of all.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms should be available in the produce aisle; if you can’t find them, use brown button mushrooms. If you don’t want to cook with fresh cream, use whole milk.

1 box small cut whole wheat pasta, such as penne, fusilli, gemelli, rotini, orechetti or shells
1 boneless chicken breast, preferably organic
½ pound fresh Shiitake mushrooms
1 medium shallot
1 medium clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
Table salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

¼ cup cream

Chicken stock

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh Parmesan

1. Fill the bowl you’re going to serve from halfway with dry pasta. Store the remainder of the pasta for another use.
2. Fill a small saucepan halfway with chicken stock. Place the saucepan on a back burner of the stovetop and turn the heat to medium-high.
3. Once the chicken stock begins to boil, add the pasta from the serving bowl to the stock. Use a silicon spatula to stir the pasta in the hot stock. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain the pasta and return it to the pan to stay warm.
4. While the pasta is cooking, drizzle a sauté pan with a five count of olive oil. Place the pan on the stove top and turn the burner to medium. Heat the oil until it is shimmering, approximately 2 minutes.
5. While the oil is heating, unwrap the chicken breast. Inspect it for any cartilage, membranes or other impurities; safely use a paring knife to remove and discard impurities if present. Rinse the breast under cool water and pat it dry with paper towels. Season the breast with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Once the oil is shimmering, gently place the breast in the oil. Cook the breast in the oil until nicely browned and cooked through, approximately four minutes each side.
7. While the breast is sautéing, remove the root and stem ends of the shallot; remove the papery outer skin. Halve the shallot from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents and then cut across the crescents to form dice. Scrape the diced shallot into a small bowl.
8. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half the clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Slice each half longways into slivers and then each sliver longways into matchsticks. Cut across the matchsticks to mince. Scrape the garlic into the bowl containing the minced shallot.
9. Brush the fresh mushrooms with a mushroom brush or a soft toothbrush to remove debris if any. Use a paring knife to remove the calloused end from the bottom of each mushroom. Cut larger mushrooms into quarters. Scrape the prepared mushrooms into a bowl.
10. Once the breast is cooked through, use tongs to remove the breast from the sauté pan. Place the breast on a heat-safe plate and cover the plate with a lid.
11. Add the shallot and garlic to the sauté pan. Use the silicon spatula to stir the shallot and garlic in the pan juices until they are soft and very fragrant, approximately 2 minutes.
12. Gently add the mushrooms to the mixture in the pan. Swirl the pan to coat the mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with the oregano, salt and several grindings of fresh black pepper. Place the lid on the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and have released their juices, approximately 5 minutes.
13. While the mushrooms are cooking, use the tongs to move the chicken breast to a clean cutting board reserved for poultry. Use the tongs to steady the chicken breast as you use a sharp knife to safely cut the breast across the grain into slices.
14. After 5 minutes, remove the lid from the sauté pan. The mushrooms should be warm and very fragrant, and should have released their juices. Turn off the heat.
15. Measure the balsamic vinegar into the mushroom mixture. Swirl the sauté pan to mix the vinegar into the mushroom mixture.
16. Gently transfer the sliced chicken and any accumulated juices from the cutting board or the resting plate into the mushroom mixture. Swirl the sauté pan to thoroughly mix the chicken-mushroom sauce.
17. Slowly pour the cream into the hot chicken-mushroom sauce while using the silicon spatula to incorporate the cream into the sauce.
18. Add the pasta to the sauté pan and stir the mixture together.
19. Transfer the pasta and sauce to the serving bowl. Garnish the pasta with fresh Parmesan and serve.