Chicken pasta dish is Fieri family favorite

For his latest cookbook, chef and TV personality Guy Fieri focuses on his home kitchen, sharing recipes that he cooks for and with his own family.

“Guy Fieri Family Food” (William Morrow; $29.99) has a chapter called “All Hands on Deck,” with recipes intended to get kids involved in the meal preparation. “Tamale Night,” “Pizza Night” and “Kebab Night” are some of the culinary group activities.

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri.

(Bruce Barton / AP )

Fieri says this Chicken Marsala Radiatori is a family favorite. “We eat this at home once a week ... every week,” he says in the recipe’s introduction. “No other dish can bring that coast of Marsala, Sicily, feeling into your kitchen like this one can.”

Chicken Marsala Radiatori

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into roughly 1-by-2-inch, 3/8-inch-thick strips

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups tightly packed baby spinach leaves

3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and julienned

1/4 cup minced shallot

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 cup sweet Marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1 pound radiatori pasta

Using the flat side of a meat mallet, lightly pound the chicken pieces.

In a large dish, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Lightly dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and set aside.

In a large nonstick saut pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Saut the spinach until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the pan and, working in batches, brown the chicken pieces all over, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, then add the mushrooms, bell pepper, shallot and salt to taste. Saut until the mushrooms are lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Deglaze by adding the Marsala and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pan, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and return the cooked spinach to the pan. Stir in the butter cubes a few at a time until melted. Stir in the parsley.

Meanwhile, to cook the radiatori, in a large stockpot over medium high heat, bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, then add the pasta. Cook according to the package directions (timing will vary depending on the size of the radiatori) until al dente. Drain.

Toss the radiatori with the chicken and sauce, and garnish with more chopped parsley. Serve.

From “Guy Fieri Family Food” by Guy Fieri. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

chris.ross@sduniontribune.com