Chicken Ragu with Farfalle

This was an excellent meal! I am playing catch up from this past week as my parents were in town and we were busy and I did not get to put these up! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 whole chicken legs (I used chicken breasts)

2 teaspoons kosher salt plus additional for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

1 medium red onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 rib celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 canned plum tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley, plus 2 tablespoons chopped

About 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 pound farfalle pasta

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, and heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper to taste, and cook until brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and the 2 teaspoons salt to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until vegetables are just tender. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, sage, rosemary, and the parsley sprigs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and mixture is saucy.

Slip the chicken with any juices into the tomato sauce. Add enough chicken broth to cover about 2/3 of the chicken. Simmer the ragu with the lid slightly ajar until the meat pulls easily from the bone, turning the chicken halfway through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and when cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Skim off any fat that has collected on the top of the sauce and stir in the chicken. (The dish can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and refrigerated in a tightly sealed container).

When ready to serve, heat the ragu over low heat. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the farfalle and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Ladle out about 1 cup of cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta, add it to the ragu and too over low heat, adding about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta liquid at a time until the sauce coats the farfalle.

Enjoy!