Chicken Puttanesca

Puttanesca. Whore's style pasta. It sounds better in Italian, but then most things do, right?  This is a dish I'd long heard of, but had never made myself and never even tried in a restaurant. I was intrigued; this was meal I had to eat and I had to eat it now.

Articles online say the dish was named after the local women of easy virtue in Naples, and that it varies slightly from region to region. I wasn't overly particular in which variation I followed - I took inspiration from Dish magazine and then amped up some of my favourite flavours: chilli and garlic. All jokes about rough and ready flavours, or saltiness aside, this is one ballsy pasta dish barely mellowed by the dusting of fresh parmesan on top.

I'd originally thought this would be a complicated dish but in reality it was an easy process, with a few slightly abnormal (for my kitchen anyway) ingredients that produced a hearty and warming mid-week meal. It may not be the prettiest dish, but it's tangy and tasty. Try it!

1 large chicken breast

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (or fresh anchovies if you can get them)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp capers

10 black olives, pitted

1 400g can cherry tomatoes

200g dried spaghetti

Parmesan

Fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Heat the oil in a large pan . Cut the chicken breast into pieces and season.  Brown on both sides then transfer to an oven proof dish.  Add the onion, garlic, chilli flakes, anchovy paste and the oregano to the pan and cook until the onion is soft. Add the capers, olives and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Cook for two minutes then taste and season if required.  Pour over the chicken and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. 

Cook the spaghetti until al dente.  Drain, then tip back into the saucepan and toss with a little olive oil. Divide the chicken and sauce between the plates and add a pile of spaghetti alongside.  Garnish with the parmesan and basil.  Enjoy!