I love it when you need to empty the produce drawer before your groceries go bad and the recipe you come up with out of necessity ends up being something that you want to make over and over again. Last night I had that problem – and that awesome solution; and we now have a new favorite easy recipe that will fit on our monthly meal planner.
Sorry about the photos (except for the one up top) — I wanted to capture the moment and it was late — still haven’t invested in a kitchen light box or enough props for foodie photo ops. Maybe one day!
Here’s the recipe…
Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast, cubed
2 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or about 5 grinds)
salt (to taste – I put it in noodle pot, on chicken, and on the finished product before tossing)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp sumac (tangy paprika flavor/used a lot in middle eastern dishes and with hummus)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 package of capellini (thin spaghetti)
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
4-5 large cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 red/purple onion, chopped
4 tbsp butter (half is used in cream sauce, half on mushrooms)
1/4 cup white wine (I use Pinot Grigio, but a Sherry would also work)
1 bell pepper, chopped (red is pretty – but if you use a tomato, you already have some red in the dish)
1 zucchini, cubed
2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped
sprinkle of dried parsley (or you can add fresh to the finished product)
1/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup cream (heavy whipping cream)
1/4 cup milk
Instructions:
1. Boil your water.
2. Cut your chicken in to bite-size pieces and season it with salt, garlic powder, dried chives, pepper, nutmeg, sumac, and a dash of dried thyme.
3. Chop all veggies and have them ready to go in the pan when you need them.
4. Boil noodles until al dente (firm but not hard) according to directions on package, putting a little salt in the water.
5. Drain and set aside.
6. Heat oil and butter in frying pan and fry chicken until golden and juices run clear.
7. Remove and set aside on a plate.
8. Add a little oil or butter to the pan and sautée your onion, mushroom, and garlic until golden brown.
9. Pour in white wine and scrape pan a little to maximize flavors, then add your zucchini, tomato, and bell pepper, and dried parsley.
10. Cook on medium heat until vegetables are the desired tenderness and return chicken to pan.
12. Meanwhile, grate cheeses and mix cream sauce ingredients in a bowl – cream, milk, cheeses, another dash of nutmeg and pepper, and a dash of salt.
13. Pour cream sauce on vegetable and chicken mixture and stir until well blended and heated through.
14. Blend and coat noodles and dish individual servings before sprinkling dish with additional Parmesan (and parsley if you are using fresh).
Serves 4-6 (two of ours are tots, so our 6 is a small 6)
I absolutely loved this dish. If you didn’t have all the vegetables listed here, you could also have a wonderful dish if you just doubled up the mushrooms (I have a serious mushroom crush).
{ Enjoy! }
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