Calabrian chili chicken pasta with tomato, orange and orange gremolata

Butterfly the chicken breasts: hand flat on top, start the knife halfway up, saw slowly about three quarters of the way through, open like a book and slash to open the last bit.

Coat a very hot 12-inch frying pan with olive oil and lay the chicken in.

Peel and chop the garlic while the chicken browns.

When the underside is browned and releases without tearing, flip; rotate the pan if a piece gets less heat.

Zest the orange and chop about a third of the garlic into it for the gremolata garnish.

When juice surfaces on the chicken it is almost cooked; give one more flip and pull to a plate, letting carryover cooking finish it. Use a thermometer if unsure.

Turn off the heat so the fond does not burn. Peel the shallots, cut each half once down the middle, then cross-cut into quarter strips.

Halve the cherry tomatoes. Put shallots and tomatoes into the chicken pan, heat back on, and stir.

Drop the pasta into salted boiling water.

Add the garlic, grind in pepper, and juice the orange into the pan, catching the seeds.

Deglaze the pan and let the sauce thicken. Kill the heat and stir in a little butter; pour in the chicken's resting juices.

Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Keep the heat off while the butter goes in so the emulsion holds; too hot and it breaks.

Drain the pasta into the pan, add the chicken and two huge scoops of crushed Calabrian chili paste. Stir and taste.

Plate and scatter on the gremolata.

Store leftovers in a big container with the rest of the gremolata stirred in and refrigerate overnight; serve cold as a pasta salad.