Baked pasta: Parmigiano, chicken and tomatoes

Baked pasta: Parmigiano, chicken and tomatoes

1 chicken breast, cut in half
1 chicken thigh, cut in half
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup white wine
4 canned tomatoes, halved
1/3 - 1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 Tsp dried tarragon
1/4 Tsp ground cayenne pepper
kosher salt
black pepper
5 oz. penne pasta, cooked to 3 minutes under al-dente
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove all excess moisture from the chicken
pieces with paper towels. Heat up a Dutch
oven over a medium flame. Pour in 2 Tbl
olive oil. Brown the chicken, on all sides.
Remove the chicken from the pan and de-grease
the pan.

Pour 2 - 3 Tbl of olive oil into the Dutch oven.
Add the onions. Salt them down. Reduce the heat
to medium-low. Saute the onions until they are
clear. Add 1/2 of the garlic to the pan. Stir
fry for 30 seconds. De-glaze the pan with white
wine. Cut off the heat, scrape the bottom of
the pan and return the chicken to the pan.

Place the tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic,
tarragon and cayenne pepper into the pan. Stir.
Add the hot drained pasta to the pan and 2 Tbl
of pasta water. Stir. Season to taste with salt
and pepper. Stir.

Grate a mountain of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
over the surface of the pasta. Transfer the pan
to the oven. Bake until the dish makes gurgling
sounds and the cheese is brown on the top, about
30 minutes. Allow the dish to rest for 15
minutes.