Orange Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Pecans and Sage Butter Pasta

If you continue to follow my blog, you will discover that I heart Rachael Ray. Not only do I enjoy her upbeat attitude and quirky colloquialisms, but I love her recipes! I found this recipe from the December 08 edition of Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine. What caught my attention was that the main ingredient was orange, which Is one of my favorite flavors. I made several changes which I noted in parenthesis.

Ingredients:
Salt and Pepper
1 Ib. whole wheat spaghetti
2 tbsp. EVOO (1 tbsp)
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered ( I used 3 chicken breasts)
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped (I omitted)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. orange marmalade (1/2 c.)
3 c. arugula or baby spinach (2 c.)
4 tbsp butter ( I omitted)
1/4 c. sage leaves, thinly sliced (I omitted)
1/2 c. parmigiano-reggiano (I used only a sprinkle)
1/3 s. honey roasted pecans ( I omitted)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
2. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with s&p and add to the pan. Sprinkle the rosemary on top of the chicken and cook the chicken until brown and crispy, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a platter. 3. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and orange marmalade into the skillet, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and add the arugula. 4.In the pasta pot, melt the butter over med-low heat. Add the sage and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and the pasta water and toss. Add the 1/2 cup of cheese and season with s&p. Sprinkle the pecans over the chicken and serve alongside the pasta.

Note: I chopped the chicken breasts into bite size pieces. I omitted the sage butter step completely and added the chicken and sauce on top of the pasta.