Joey's Chicken and Mushroom Pasta with Red Wine Sauce

Ok, so, if you're one of my faithful readers, you know by now that I like to just throw a bunch of things into a pan and see where it goes. Very often, I forget what I did and then can't recreate the dish, or else it's gone in no time, and then I realize I've forgotten to take a picture of it. Well, this time I remembered to write down the ingredients, remembered to take a picture of it, but forgot to write down how to make it. All I found was the picture and the list of ingredients. Oops. lol Oh well, what can you do. I'm confident, however, that this is what I did. Just by the list of ingredients and knowing  how I would usually cook, I'm pretty sure this is how I did it. Of course, I could make it again just to see if I'm right, but then I'd have an entire pasta dinner, which would go against my current low-carbness. I suppose I could make it again and then invite some people over. Hmm... LOL
 Well, anyway, give it a try and let me know how you like it!


1 lb cut pasta, any kind
4 or 5 boneless chicken breasts
flour, salt and pepper
1 lb assorted mushroom, shitake, button, cremini, portobella
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken broth
crushed red pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated
fresh mozzarella cheese
fresh or dried oregano
fresh basil


 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a couple handfuls of salt. Boil pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, cut chicken into small bite sized pieces. In a shallow bowl, combine about a cup of flour, and S&P to taste. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour then shake off the excess.
 Add a few glugs of olive oil to a large heavy pot. Saute the chicken, working in batches, until the chicken is lightly browned and nearly cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
 Add a little more olive oil to the pot. Add sliced mushrooms and onions. Saute for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add chopped garlic. Saute for another minute or two. Add crushed tomatoes, red wine, chicken broth, and a pinch or two of salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Let it simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens a little. Add the chicken and cooked pasta to the sauce. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Adjust seasoning if needed. Toss with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, dried oregano, and chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese.

Tips:
Use any kind of cut pasta you like, penne, ziti, rigatoni, all good!
Use any kind of mushrooms. Any combination or just one kind, all good!
The amounts are just guidelines. If you like a lot of garlic, add a lot! so forth.
Be sure to use fresh mozzarella. This is the kind you'll find in a container of water, not the kind that is shrink wrapped. It's much softer and melts much more easily when you toss it with the pasta.