Garlic Quattrotini Chicken Madeira

To cook the chicken: Pound the chicken breasts until the thickest part of each breast is approximately 3/4 inches thick. Transfer them to a plate or cutting board, poke them 6-7 times with a fork, and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. 

Let the chicken rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and heat the oven to 275°F. 

Place chicken in a baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and uncover the baking dish. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Once the oil just begins to smoke, add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side, then transfer to a cutting board or plate. Slice diagonally into 1/4 inch slices once cool enough to handle.

Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. 

Without cleaning the skillet in which the chicken was cooked, heat it over low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. It should be translucent and softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, continuing to stir. Increase the heat to medium and add the Madeira, scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan, and continue to cook 3 to 4 minutes longer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the heavy cream and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until it thickens slightly. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the peas. 

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook the pasta to 2 minutes from al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup water and strain. Add the pasta along with just a splash of the reserved cooking water to the skillet with the sauce and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring the Quattrotini in the sauce, until the pasta is cooked through to al dente and coated with the sauce, adding more water if needed. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese. Taste, season the sauce with more cheese or salt if necessary, and serve in individual plates with the chicken, passing more Parmigiano alongside.

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Chef's Note: Ensure the chicken is fully cooked before searing; the quick pan-fry is just to add color and flavor.

A second option for serving is to cut the chicken into smaller pieces and stir it in with the pasta, rather than serving it alongside. If serving this way, stir the chicken into the pasta with the peas.