Chicken with Pasta, Peppers and Cheese Sauce

Today has been a busy day, decorating the kids room, so after nipping out to get some well deserved beers. It is time to open the fridge and work out what we can have for a quick tea.

Inside the fridge, a couple of chicken breasts that have been defrosting have caught my eye. This meal can be so easily adapted to whatever you have lurking in the fridge.

The finished Meal

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts cut into bit sized pieces
3 TBLSP of oil for frying
2 peppers diced
2 tsp of dried parsley
1 tsp of black pepper
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
12.5g of butter
12.5g of flour
1/2 pint of milk
80g of cheese
150g of dried pasta

Method

• Add oil to frying pan, add the diced peppers and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes
• Add the chicken, garlic, peppers, pepper and dried parsley and fry, turning occasionally
• In a pan add pasta and cook as per instructions on the packet
• In a separate pan, whilst the pasta and chicken are cooking, add the butter and melt
• Add the flour to the butter and stir in and cook gently for 30 seconds
• Slowly add the milk, a bit at a time, stirring in after every addition to ensure no lumps form
• After adding all the milk, turn up the heat to medium and continue to stir, after the milk comes to the boil and the sauce has thickened slightly add the cheese and stir in until it has melted
• Drain the pasta and return the same pan
• Add the cooked chicken mix
• Add the cheese sauce and serve

Enjoy...

The Chicken and peppers cooking

The finished Meal

Grilled Chicken Breast with pecorino cheese with spicy pasta

This is the simplest of all meals , that is made from store cupboard ingredients
Cost: Approx - £1.40p
Serves two

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts - flattened
25g of pecorino or parmesan cheese finely grated
390g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of dried basil
2 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
150g of dried pasta

Method:

• Flatten the chicken between 2 sheets of cling film with a rolling pin and season with salt and pepper

The flattened Chicken Breasts

• In a pan combine the tomatoes, pepper, basil and garlic and put on a high heat to bring to the boil with the lid of, once boiling reduce heat and cook until reduced - you are looking to get rid of most of the water - so you are left with a rich like paste
• Put the tomatoes into a blender and blend until smooth - you could miss this step, you jest end up with a chunkier sauce

The Finished Sauce

• Pre-heat the grill, and put the seasoned chicken onto the grill rack, turn occasionally until cooked
• Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the packet instructions
• When the chicken is cooked, put the cheese on top and return to the oven, until melted and bubbling
• Just before serving add the sauce to the pasta and stir in

Serve and enjoy...


The finished meal