Chicken, porcini & pancetta pasta

A tasty pasta dish with a difference! Surprisingly easy to make yet it will wow at any dinner party

• Preparation: 15 mins
• Cooking: 20 mins
• Serves: 4

What you need:

• 25g dried porcini
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets
• 100g pancetta
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200ml dry white wine
• 400g gluten-free pasta
• 40g dairy-free margarine
• 3 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tbsp maize flour
• 200ml Kallo Unsweetened Soya Milk
• 4 handfuls baby spinach leaves
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

What you do:

1. Put the porcini in a bowl and cover with 175ml boiling water and leave to stand for at least 20 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to one side. Add the pancetta and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until crispy. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to one side.
3. Add the garlic to the saucepan and fry for 1 minute. Strain the porcini and reserve the liquid. Add the porcini to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in the wine and the reserved porcini liquid and add the chicken and pancetta. Bring just to the boil over a medium heat. Turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Strain the liquid from the pan and leave to one side.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, then the pasta, pushing it down into the water as it softens. Cook over a medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, stirring frequently to make sure the pasta doesn't stick together.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the dairy-free margarine in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the flours, then remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the soya milk, stirring continuously. Return the pan to a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously as it thickens. If the sauce gets lumpy, beat with a whisk until smooth.
6. Turn the heat down to low and simmer very gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan. Gradually stir in the liquid from the pan, to make a smooth sauce that is thick, but still runny. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the sauce into the saucepan with the chicken, add the spinach and stir thoroughly over a medium heat until completely mixed in and the spinach has wilted. Drain the pasta and rinse well with boiling water, then drain again. Add the pasta to the chicken and stir in. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Cook's tip:

I've used chicken thigh fillets in this recipe because I think they taste better, but if you can't get hold of the skinless, boneless ones, you can use chicken breasts, instead.

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