Juniper Gin Chicken Pasta

Prepare your mise en place by slicing the onion, fennel, and chicken breast. Mince the garlic. Chop the fresh thyme and parsley. Remove the zest from an orange and grind the juniper berries. Pre-measure the rest of the ingredients to have ready.

Place a large saute pan over low heat and add 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add the sliced onion, fennel, pepper flakes, juniper, thyme and a pinch of salt, and cook over a low to medium-low heat for 5 minutes to begin sweating the vegetables. Add the garlic and continue to sweat the vegetables for another 5-7 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

Return the saute pan used to sweat the vegetables to the stove over a medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan once it is hot. Place the slices of chicken in the pan turning them once a nice crust has developed on the first side. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning the sucs that are developing on the pan surface.

Once the chicken is nicely browned on both sides, turn off the heat under the pan and add the 3 Tbsp. of gin all at once. Turn the burner back on and tip the pan up to pool the gin, it should ignite, so stand clear. Alternatively you can flambe the gin using a long-handled lighter. Once the flames die out, scrape the pan to deglaze the sucs. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set them aside with the vegetables.

Add 2 cups of chicken stock to the saute pan and simmer to reduce to 1 cup.

Bring 3 quarts of cold water to a boil for the pasta. Once the water boils, season with enough salt so the water tastes similar to sea water. With the water at a boil add the pasta and stir to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente and then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water to thin sauce if desired.

Once the chicken stock has reduced, stir in the chilled butter one piece at a time. Adjust the seasoning of the sauce. Add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and mix. Add the cooked pasta and stir in the parmesan cheese and orange zest. Add reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if desired.

Once all the ingredients are nicely combined, place the pasta on a serving platter and top with the chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.