- "Something
Different"
- Cook Once,
Serve Twice
- BY DANA JACOBI
FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Spaghetti Chicken
sounds like a four-year-old confiding the name of his or her
favorite dish. I came up with this creation in the days when
sharing the rent and grocery bills with a roommate was a necessity.
It remains a favorite comfort food that’s both convenient
and economical, features we all still prize.
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.
_______________________________________
“Something Different” is written for the American Institute
for Cancer Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy
of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before
It Starts.
AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. ET Monday-Friday. This free service allows you to ask a
registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer.
AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively on
the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a range
of education programs that help Americans learn to make changes
for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research
in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals
and research centers across the U.S. It has provided more than
$65 million for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s
Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer
Research Fund International.
_______________________________________
ARTICLE POSTED
FEBRUARY 3, 2003
|
WHAT'S NEW?