Linguine with Chicken Ragu

For some reason this was the recipe that made me fall in love with cooking. I think it's also the meal that made my husband fall in love with me!  I was home sick from work, napping with Food Network on in the background. Something about Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Italian that stopped me in my tracks, it looked so good and so easy that I could smell the woody smell of the rosemary through the TV.  I rushed to the store and got what I needed! 

Serves 6 as a main course.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into chunks (sometimes I use chicken breast since that's what I have on hand and it's just as good, although less meaty in flavor)
1/2 Cup Shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
2 tsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary
2/3 Cups dry white wine
4 Cups Quick Marinara Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 lb dried linguine
1/2 shredded Parmesan Cheese

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped chicken and cook until juices evaporate and chicken is golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the shallots, garlic and rosemary.  Saute until tender, about 2 minutes.

3.  Add the wine (it's about to sound like a real kitchen now) and stir to scrape up any bits of browned stuff on the bottom of the skillet.

4. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the flavors blend.

Meanwhile...

Boil a large pot of salted water and add linguine.  Cook pasta until al dente, slightly chewy not cook all the way through. Drain pasta, reserving 1 Cup of cooking water.  Add pasta to sauce, adding cooking water a little at a time to moisten the pasta.

Transfer to a large serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese!