Cook Once, Serve Twice

by Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research

Convenience first. Spaghetti Chicken is a one-pot dish that you cook once, for two meals. Well, maybe it is a three-pot dish, if you include the skillet for making the chicken, a pot for boiling the spaghetti and a saucepan for the soup that uses the leftover chicken. As for the economic virtues, the key ingredient is not only inexpensive, it lets you use about one and a half pounds of meat to feed four people, twice.

As comfort food, pasta topped with savory, homemade sauce, mushrooms and freshly cooked chicken rates high at my house. I usually use the leftover white meat in soup, most often combined with vegetables and beans or rice, or both - another comfort food.

Healthy eating is another virtue of this dish. Spaghetti Chicken provides lean protein for two meals, plus one to two servings of vegetables, along with a grain, the first time around. If you like, increase the amount of vegetables the second time around. (I have added frozen green peas, leftover fresh corn sliced off the cob, sliced zucchini, chopped spinach, even canned beans to this dish.)

Requiring relatively little time in the kitchen, this dish works equally well with whole wheat or the regular, semolina type of pasta. Sometimes I use rice instead, either white or brown, or spoon the chicken and sauce over polenta.

Spaghetti Chicken with Mushroom Sauce - Makes 4 servings.

1 split, skinless chicken breast with ribs (2 halves)
4 skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 lb. crimini or white mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. spaghetti or linguini
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
(Parmesan) cheese (1 oz.)

Coat a large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Set pan over medium-high heat. Brown chicken lightly, about 8 minutes, turning pieces occasionally, so it colors on all sides. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Heat oil in the pan. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sauté until they release liquid, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes with their liquid, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Return chicken to skillet. Simmer until chicken is white at the bone, about 40 minutes, turning it after 25 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces to plate. When they are cool enough to handle, pull all the meat from the bones. There will be about 8 ounces of white meat and 6 of dark meat. Set aside the dark meat for Chicken Spaghetti. Cover the rest, and refrigerate, to use another time.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Divide it among 4 bowls. If necessary, reheat sauce in the skillet. When hot, add reserved shredded chicken. Spoon sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Per serving: 378 calories, 8 g. total fat (3 g. saturated fat), 54 g. carbohydrate, 22 g. protein, 6 g. dietary fiber, 387 mg. sodium.