What to do with 2 buck chuck....Part 1

I suppose this could be a reoccurring series. My husband and I are big fans of 2 buck chuck. While watching  Eat, Pray, Love, I got really jealous of all  the wine the characters were drinking. We're on austerity measures here, no wine for months! Then I realized that almost no one can afford massive amounts of decent wine. Enter 2 buck chuck: the equivalent of table wine here in the US, although experimentation has taught me to limit it to just the shiraz and the sauvignon blanc. I bought quite a few bottles (how could I not...) and thought I should use some for cooking. Below is a recipe I made this weekend for Pasta Primavera. This recipe is very flexible, choose any meat or vegetable options. Smoked paprika goes really well with seafood so I could definitely see shrimp here.

4 chicken breasts (savings tip: I got mine in the discount section at Albertsons. $1.50 per pound!)

smoked paprika

1 lb. pasta

4 T. olive oil, divided in two

1 large onion, any kind, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup cream

1 T. butter

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, sliced

1 cup frozen corn, defrosted

2 cups frozen broccoli, defrosted

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

sliced basil

salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Heat a large saute pan with 2 T. olive oil on medium high to high heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with some salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. You can get smoked paprika at some Costcos for cheap, or off Amazon. It is worth having in the pantry.

3. Put chicken in pan and sear each side. Usually it will be golden color. Keep a close eye at this point so they don't burn.

4. Drizzle some extra olive oil in a casserole dish, then put the chicken in it. Cover with foil and put in the oven for about 1 hour (less if chicken breasts are small).

5. Relax for 30 minutes and drink the extra wine.

6. Boil a pot of water. Sprinkle in some salt and olive oil. Put in pasta and follow package directions. Strain when done.

7. While pasta is cooking, use the same pan from the chicken. Pour in the remaining 2 T. olive oil at medium heat. Once hot, put in the chopped onions and saute about 5 min.

8. Pour in the wine and scrape all the little bits off the bottom. Lots of flavor! About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, put in the corn, broccoli, butter, cream, and sun dried tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and more paprika to taste. Bring to a simmer and simmer for a few minutes.

9. Take the chicken out of the oven, let rest 5 minutes, then slice. Put noodles and chicken in with the sauce. Add Parmesan cheese. Taste the final product before serving and add more salt or pepper. Don't add any more paprika. Personal experience has taught me it needs to be cooked. Raw paprika is not a good thing.

10. Serve with more cheese and basil sprinkled on top.

Enjoy!