Chicken And Philly with Homemade Pasta Dough

Why is home made pasta popular?

I discovered just how easy pasta was to make, literally 2 ingredients and maybe a bit of salt. So simple, and yet so tasty.

Then this Christmas I was lucky enough to receive a pasta maker and was able to roll my own pasta into a nice tagliatelle. 2 mins in some boiling water and we have a pasta dish ready to go.

Ingredients needed for the chicken and philly dish

The list of ingredients can be as extensive or as simple as you wish. I like this dish because of the flexibility it offers.

The basic (but essential) ingredients

• Chicken - You can use sliced chicken breast of chicken thighs for this recipe. Chicken thighs tend to have a better flavour, but do require some preparation to ensure they are bone free.
• Philadelphia crème cheese - There are a few varieties of this crème cheese spread. I like to use the Philadelphia Lighter version as this offers a lot of the flavour but for less calories. There is also the original versions and Philly with herbs (chives) which also works well with this dish.
• Pasta - For the pasta in this dish you can make your own, use shop bought fresh pasta or shop bought dried pasta. All work as well as each other in my opinion and the difference is mainly to do with preparation and cooking time. This is really a matter of taste for you.

Ingredients which can be omitted or substituted

• Garlic - A clove of garlic (one section from a garlic bulb) will usually be enough for two people. The instructions in this recipe call for ½ a teaspoon which I would say is about one clove finely chopped.
• Onion - Red or brown onions work well with this dish. My rule is to use red onion for eating raw (like in a summer salad or similar) and use brown when cooking or frying. Again, there are no real rules to stick by so go with what you wish.
• Red pepper - The pepper offers up a extra bite and crunch to the dish and allows it to be bulked out and stretched a bit further. While I have suggested red pepper here, you can also opt for orange, yellow or green. Again this comes down to personal preference and what you have in your pantry.
• Parmesan cheese - Optional for adding some extra cheese.
• Tomatoes - What's an Italian dish with a bit of tomato right?

While these are nice to add to the dish, they are not essential ingredients. You can add or omit as many of the second list as you wish.

If you are looking for pizza dough options and detailed instructions how to make it, try my pizza dough calculator. This offers all weights and measures to get a great dough.

How to make Chicken and Philly pasta

If you are making the pasta by hand, start from step one. If you are using shop bought pasta ignore steps one and two and start at step 3.

1. Step 1: To make the pasta, simply pour the semolina flour onto a clean work surface and create a well in the middle. Crack the egg and mix the two together. Knead the two together to make a dough - this will take around 5 - 10 minutes. If needed, add a little water to stop it being too dry. Once kneaded, ball together and wrap in cling film. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Step 2: When the pasta is ready to roll, put it through the pasta machine and shape as you wish. Don't have a pasta machine, no problem - just use a rolling pin and knife. Don't have those? Buy some pasta 🤣
   Hang the fresh pasta on the drying rack and leave until you are ready to cook it right near the end.

5. Step 5: In another pan, add a tablespoon of salt and boil up some water to cook your pasta in. If cooking freshly made pasta, cook it until the pasta floats (2 to 3 minutes).
   If using shop bought pasta or dried pasta, cook as per the instructions on the packet.

6. Step 6: Add the Philadelphia to the chicken pan and stir in until soft. You might need to turn the heat down so it doesn't burn. Heat for around 2-3 minutes. At that point drop in one table spoon of pasta water and then stir in.
   To serve, either mix in all the pasta into the Chicken Philly cheese sauce, or serve the pasta first into a bowl and scoop some Chicken Philly on the top.

Useful tools and equipment for pasta making

This recipe shows you how to make pasta from scratch. While you do not need to have specialist equipment to do so, it certainly helps. So what do you need to make pasta making easier?

Pasta making machine - This is a form of press which you can roll the pasta through. These usually attach using a clamp to a work surface. Then you gradually roll the pasta dough through, each time adjusting the gap between the rollers to make it thinner each time.

There are also attachments that you can buy which attach to your stand mixer. These attach the the front and provide a roller mechanism to use. Brands such as Kitchen Aid and Kenwood offer such attachments (these make a great gift for the avid chef!)

Cling Film - I recommend a roll of cling film to wrap the pasta dough in before it goes in the fridge. This will help get the dough ready for rolling.

Pasta drying rack - This helps air dry the pasta ready for cooking.

Money saving considerations for this recipe

To do a money saving version of this dish you can swap out home made pasta for shop bought dried pasta. The onion and garlic is optional. To flavour your pasta you can use a stock cube or a teaspoon of salt per 100g of pasta.

Any cream cheese will do, and this can be bulked out with some regular cheese grated up if you wish.

Costs to consider: Bag of pasta, tub of cream cheese, salt, gas/electric for the hob (around 10 minutes boiling).

To save money further, once the pasta is cooked, drain off the water and add in the cheese which will melt it in the hot pan and not need any further heat source.

Frequently Asked Questions when pasta making