Bertucci’s at Home

It’s no secret that I love Bertucci’s. Their pizza sauce is awesome, they have a number of pasta dishes I enjoy- seriously, that baked tortellini and chicken gratinati is to DIE for (not to mention actually die because I think its like 1200 calories) and even their salads with grilled chicken are great. But the bread and dipping oil?? That is a large part of why I go.

Luckily enough at work the other day I stumbled upon this YouTube ad explaining how you make the wonderful dipping oil. I couldn’t believe it. You’re giving away the family secret! I was delighted and had to try it out.

Following the lovely bread and oil, I also made Bertucci’s Rigatoni Broccoli and Chicken in a White Wine Sauce. Super easy, a little sophisticated, and much better for my budget than going to Bertucci’s on a weekly basis. Besides, now when I go, I can get something I CAN’T make at home!

Bertucci’s Dipping Oil:

Ingredients:

Please note, I honestly have no idea how much of ANY of this I put in. I just tried to emulate what it looked like on my plate every time I ate it. I would say start with less parsley than you think… mine turned out a little more green than usual!

• Rolls for dipping- I bought ciabatta rolls
• Olive Oil
• Red Pepper flakes
• Grated Romano
• Rosemary chopped up
• Chopped fresh parsley (Jeff Tenner in the video says he uses flat parsley but I didn’t know where that was in my Stop & Shop (and honestly don’t know what it means) so just went the fresh route
• Garlic (went fresh garlic for this! Tenner shows some great tips in the video on how to chop the garlic up well)

Bertucci’s Rigatoni Broccoli and Chicken with White Wine Sauce:

(thanks to Pinterest)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Box of Rigatoni
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• flour, seasoned with salt and pepper to dust chicken
• 2 c broccoli florets
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, sliced
• 1 c dry white wine (can either buy the grocery store white wine or use your own! The generally recommended dry white for cooking is Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1/2 c chicken broth

Directions:

– Cook pasta. (doh!)

– While pasta is cooking, dust chicken strips with flour, salt and pepper. For me, this meant talking a handful of flour, and kind of tossing the chicken strips in, then adding salt and pepper. Whatever’s easiest! Cook until golden brown on both sides.

– Add broccoli, garlic and lemon slices. Stir and cook for a minute.

– Add wine and broth and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out when this was, so I just tasted it after awhile to see if I liked it! Basically wait for the winey taste to disappear a little.

– Add cooked and drained pasta, toss, and enjoy! Serve in bowls because the sauce is very thin and add a little Parmesan if you want! (I always do).

Have you tried any restaurant impersonation meals? I want to hear about them!