Thanksgiving Recipes: Chicken Rustica over Penne Pasta

Being Italian by osmosis, sometimes our holiday menu's are a little different. Christmas and New Years is usually either lasagna or "Italian Enchiladas." Thanksgiving is the exception, where we do the traditional Turkey and Ham (I'll be up at 5 AM tomorrow to smoke the ham over mesquite! It don't get any better than that.)

But, Mary being a nurse, she usually ends up working one major holiday or the other (Darn sick people!). This year it's Thanksgiving. So, we'll celebrate the holiday tomorrow, when we can get the tutta la famiglia together. Which leaves the kids at the mercy of Dad's cooking for dinner. Since this is the first day off I've had in about three months, I'm not going to get too crazy. I'm a big fan of crockpot recipes that you can throw together and ignore all day while they cook for you.

Today we're having Bistecca Pizzaiola, Pineapple Ricotta Pie, and Chicken Rustica over Penne Pasta.

Chicken Rustica

• 2 1/4 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch strips
• 1 1/2 tablespoon real bacon bits or crumbled cooked bacon
• 1 1/2 can (14.5 ounce size) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 can (15 ounce size) artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 1/2 can (4 oz size) sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 1/2 envelope dry chicken gravy mix
• 3/8 cup dry red wine
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Penne Pasta

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over Penne pasta.

Buon appetito!