Penne Gorgonzola Chicken

Second week of April and everything at the daycare smells like sunscreen because the kids are playing outside now and the parents are insisting on it. I am not complaining. Outside time is my favorite time because it changes the energy in the room for the whole rest of the day. Tired children are easier in the best possible way.

I have been on a jambalaya kick this month. Made a big pot last Sunday that lasted most of the week, reheated in portions with a little extra chicken broth to loosen it. The base is the same holy trinity as the red beans: onion, celery, bell pepper, softened until everything is sweet and fragrant. Then chicken thighs browned and removed, andouille sliced and seared, the vegetables back in with tomatoes and rice and chicken broth and a bay leaf and hot sauce and thyme. The chicken goes back in to finish cooking in the rice. The trick with jambalaya is not stirring it too much once the rice goes in. You have to trust the pot.

I called Gloria while I was cooking to talk through the seasoning and she reminded me to taste before adding more cayenne. She said you cannot un-hot something. She is right. I said I know. She said yes but you keep forgetting. She is also right about that.

My second vaccine is next Thursday. The kids at the daycare do not know what any of this has meant but their parents do. One mother, a woman I have known since her daughter started as an infant two years ago, stopped me at pickup last week and said thank you for being here through all of it. I did not know what to say so I said of course. But I thought about it for three days after.

The jambalaya I made that Sunday was really about needing to trust the pot — to put in what you have and let it do its work without fussing over it. That’s the same spirit I bring to this Penne Gorgonzola Chicken, which has become my other weeknight anchor when I want something rich and grounding but don’t want to stand over a stove making a hundred decisions. It’s bold the way Gloria’s advice is bold — direct, a little sharp, exactly what you needed to hear.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz penne pasta
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.
Brown the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and black pepper. Add to the skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3–4 minutes until golden. Flip and cook another 2–3 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Build the sauce base. Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, add the diced onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add cream and cheese. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the crumbled gorgonzola a little at a time, letting it melt into the sauce. Taste before adding more salt — gorgonzola brings its own salinity.
Combine and finish. Return the chicken to the skillet. Add the drained penne and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until it reaches a loose, creamy consistency. Cook together 1–2 minutes so everything is well coated and heated through.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with fresh parsley and an extra crack of black pepper if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Penne Gorgonzola Chicken — The Warmth You Cook Toward at the End of a Long Week