Blue Ribbon Chicken Pasta With Prosciutto

Step 1: Season Chicken strips with the Montreal Seasoning mix and ground hot pepper. Let chicken meld flavor by letting it marinade for 30 min – 1 hour.

Step 2: Heat a cast iron griddle grate pan (or use outdoor grill). Grease with Pam or with oil. Once pan is hot, place chicken strips in hot pan. Turn chicken strips over to cook evenly. Once chicken strips are just cooked with a little pink in the middle (do not overcook as the chicken will be tough because it's going to cook for a second time), remove from pan onto plate to rest a bit.

Step 3: Once chicken has rested for at least 10 min., slice into bite size pieces diagonally; set aside.

Step 4: Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté garlic until soft and golden, being careful not to burn as it will impart a bitter taste. Add tomatoes, proscuitto, chicken and butter; sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add basil, and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Step 5: Meanwhile, in a stockpot, bring salted water to boil and cook linguine until al dente.

Step 6: Drain pasta and transfer to a bowl, add the chicken/tomato mixture, chilies, roasted peppers, and grated cheese; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Step 7: TO ROAST PEPPERS, place in a greased cookie sheet into a 500 degree oven to char. Once the skin of the peppers is charred and pulling away from the meat of the peppers, remove each pepper from oven with tongs and place immediately in a paper bag or bowl, sealing bag tightly in order for peppers to sweat (if using bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap).

Step 8: Let peppers sit in sealed bag or bowl for a while (10 – 15 min). Once the skin has wilted away from meat of peppers, remove peppers from bag and peal skin off gently, discarding the skin and slicing the peppers into desirable sized strips.