Asparagus Chicken Bow Tie Pasta with Anjou Blanc Wine

Asparagus Chicken Bow Tie Pasta gets tossed with goat cheese and lemon for a delicious spring meal. Pairs very nicely with a white wine from the Loire Valley region.

Asparagus and goat cheese make a nice combination, and I suspected they would go well with a white wine from the Loire Valley. Asparagus is tough to match with wines, but goat cheese definitely creates a nice bridge to the wine.  So for today’s French Winophiles visit to the Anjou and Samur regions of the Loire, I made Asparagus Chicken Bow Tie Pasta tossed with goat cheese. Before I get further into this post, let me mention I’ve got more tips for pairing wine with asparagus here.

This dish might not be classic French cooking, but goat cheese definitely features prominently in the Loire region. The first I article I checked out on Loire Valley food mentions that the Loire is known as the “garden of France”, and the photo at the top of that article had asparagus on the plate. So this asparagus bowtie pasta might not be an authentic Loire recipe, but it’s keeping in the spirit of the area!

We really enjoy the combination of creamy goat cheese and fresh asparagus in this recipe, and the chicken and pasta give nice substance for a satisfying meal. Made more satisfying with a good glass of wine, bien sûr!

Anjou Wine for Asparagus Chicken Bow Tie Pasta

We picked up a bottle of 2012 Chateau Soucherie Anjou Blanc Cuvee ($19, 12.5% ABV) to pair with our Asparagus Chicken Bow Tie Pasta. The wine is 100% Chenin Blanc. As explained in the tasting sheet for the wine, Anjou is a region near the city of Angers. Anjou and Saumur are often grouped together in what is considered the “Middle Loire”.

The nose of the wine was like a nice breath of spring, hibiscus flower. Taste of lemon and a bit of cantaloup and honey. A delicate wine, with a touch of salinity. The lemon notes definitely matched nicely with the goat cheese, and the delicate touch worked well with the asparagus. This wine was a very good pairing for our goat cheese pasta dish with asparagus. However, that salinity I mentioned left me thinking this wine might go even better with scallops. Sounds like another good pairing in the making!

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Asparagus Chicken Bow Tie Pasta

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Bow tie pasta tossed with asparagus, chicken and goat cheese for a tasty meal. Especially good in spring when fresh asparagus is available.

• Author: Cooking Chat
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 5 servings 1x
• Category: Main
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• 1 large bunch asparagus
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ colored bell pepper, chopped
• 3 chicken breast fillet, sliced into strips about ½ inch thick
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp fresh tarragon, minced (or ½ tsp dried tarragon)
• 12 ozs bow tie pasta
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 ozs goat cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• Parmigiano cheese to pass at table

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Instructions

1. Prepare the asparagus: chop off the woody portion of the asparagus stem. Discard or reserve the woody stem for making vegetable stock. Chop the remaining asparagus spears in half, which yields pieces of asparagus between one and two inches.
2. Fill a pan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus to steam for about 5 minutes until just tender. Drain the asparagus and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet on medium. Add the pepper, cook for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, cook for one minute more.
4. Start boiling a pot of water for the pasta after adding the garlic.
5. Push the peppers to the side of the skillet, and place the chicken slices in the center. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken turns white on the outside.
6. Add the wine and tarragon to the chicken mixture, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the skillet, and simmer about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Cook the pasta according to package directions as the chicken simmers. When done, drain the pasta and toss with the chicken mixture.
8. Place the pasta on low heat as you stir in the asparagus and then the goat cheese. Let the heat melt the goat cheese and warm up the asparagus for a few minutes. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste, and squeeze in the lemon juice.
9. Plate the pasta, and serve with an asparagus friendly white wine, such as Cooking Chat’s pick from the Loire region of France.

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Anjou Saumur Wine and Food from French Winophiles

Be sure to check out all the tasty Loire posts from the Winophile bloggers!

• Jill of L’Occasion –Five Things I Learned about Loire Wines from a Bottle of Rosé
• David of Cooking Chat – Asparagus Chicken Bow Tie Pasta With Anjou Blanc Wine
• Michelle of Rockin Red Blog – Diving into Loire Valley #wine with #Winophiles: Anjou
• Jeff from Food Wine Click – Seafood Brochettes with the Wines of Anjou & Saumur
• Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva – Chenin from Saumur, Cabernet Franc from Anjou