It's been ages but I cooked last night: One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta and Chicken

A friend of mine on Facebook posted one of those short videos that show in quick motion the creation of a recipe.  I can't figure out how to put the video on here.   So I will refer you to the recipes creator and the website.  I've included the recipe below.  All rights are reserved for the photo and recipe with Donna Elick and her cookbook The Slow Roasted Italian copyright 2016.  Bon appetite!

First I'd suggest you watch the enticing video which is probably 30 seconds. Link: http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2016/10/one-pot-cheesy-Italian-Pasta-Chicken-recipe.html?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email

The recipe is below.  My comments/suggestions are below the recipe.  Bravo! Ms. Elick.  I have to say this about this recipe:

• It was incredible
• It was simple
• It was quick
• It didn't require a lot of prep time
• It didn't require a lot clean up
• Oh, and it was delicious

One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta and Chicken
SERVES 6  |  ACTIVE TIME 20 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 30 Minutes

8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained (about 7 ounces)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2" bite size pieces)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound dry linguine
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups (32 ounces) reduced sodium chicken stock
1 cup (8 ounces) chardonnay wine
4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine 1/2 of the spinach with the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, linguine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour chicken stock and wine over top. Cover and bring to a boil.

Cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking. This is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.

Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in remaining spinach. Serve and enjoy!

DONNA'S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: Dried Italian Seasoning is a fabulous convenience ingredient. If you do not keep it on hand, combine 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

This dish is just spicy enough to make your tongue tingle. For a very mild sauce, reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.

I know some people are sensitive to alcohol. The wine adds a fabulous rich buttery flavor and a bright citrusiness to the pasta. If you can use the chardonnay, I highly recommend it. However, you can substitute with chicken stock, white grape juice, or lemon water (1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup water).

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian http://theslowroasteditalian-printablerecipe.blogspot.com/2016/10/one-pot-cheesy-italian-pasta-and-chicken.html

Copyright ©2016 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.
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Here's my comments about my first time at trying this brilliant recipe.   There will be many more times that I make this.  But we made slight alterations:

• We used boneless, skinless thighs--I do not like white meat. (I think that you might find boneless, skinless, white meat in prepared in 1/2" pieces--I was pleased that our grocery store had boneless, skinless dark meat).
• We should have bought the pre-chopped onions that are available in produce. It would have saved a short bit of time.
• I used garlic from the jar, which saved prep time. So sue me....it saved time.
• That was all the prep work that it took and it was very quick (like 10 minutes).  
• My mother doesn't like heat, so I only added a dash of the red pepper flakes. This was not my preference, because I like things spicier.
• The jar of sun dried tomatoes weren't cut. They we're large tomatoes. I'd suggest cutting these in half before you put them in the pot.
• Next time I make this I'd like to try it with three cheeses sprinkled over the top for each plate. The parmesan that was in the dish was fabulous. But I love cheese. I'd like to see what those other would do. I might even try it with a little mushroom. But it is perfect as it it.
• This is a perfect recipe. It took us at most 30 minutes from prep to finish. You only have one dish to clean, the pot that you dump everything and cook in, and a few prep utensil. I cannot wait to make this again! One of the best and easiest recipes I've ever made