Thursday, March 10, 2011

Chicken Etouffe with Pasta

Prep and Cook Time: 25min

It was Wednesday afternoon, the boys had taken a good nap and were content to watch a movie on the couch so I went right on working on one of my afternoon projects until I looked up and noticed it was 4:30. In our new post wrestling season schedule we have been eating at 5 and loving it. I hadn’t thawed any meat but I follow a self-proclaimed routine of nightly themed menus and Wednesday is Mexican, therefore that narrowed down my dilemma (normally I have a monthly menu hanging on the Chef menu board but I am converting to an excel spreadsheet and haven’t printed March yet). The project I had been working on just so happened to be the same fore mentioned excel spreadsheet.
 I picked up the last cookbook I had been selecting recipes from and flipped through for a quick recipe that fit the theme. I came across this one which is Cajun. I figured Cajun, Mexican, interchangeable enough…both suggest a bit of spice in your life….I UNDERESTIMATED HOW MUCH spice. Though this may have been due solely to the fact that I had thought Wayne had said be home at 5 when it had really been Wrestling Gear Check-in STARTS at 5 so it simmered an extra 45 minutes and had plenty of time to absorb its every seasoning. Turns out that by this time it was too spicy to serve to the boys even after adding tons of vinegar to cancel out the spice from the peppers but Wayne loved it and added Tabasco on top. I kept my napkin near to blot the eyes and nose and managed half a bowl.
SAVE YOUR TONGUE, ONLY USE THE 25 MINUTES!


Recipe taken from:  All Time Favorite Recipes: Incredibly Easy Chicken
Ingredients:
¼ cup vegetable oil (I used EVOO)
1/3  cup flour
½ cup finely chopped onion
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut across the grain into ¼ inch thick strips
1 cup chicken broth
1 medium tomato, chopped
¾ cup sliced celery
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow, red, orange mix)
2 Tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning blend
Hot Cooked Pasta (we were running very low so I had to choose between angel hair and country egg noodles which is what I used and they weren’t bad, though I would suggest a firmer more Italian pick)

1.       Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add flour; cook and stir 10 minutes or until dark brown. Add onion; cook and stir 2 minutes.
2.       Stir in chicken, broth, tomato, celery, bell pepper and seasoning blend. Cook 8 minutes or until chicken is cook through. Serve over pasta.
        
Makes 6 servings.
       *Etouffe is a traditional dish from New Orleans. This Cajun stew usually features chicken or shellfish, bell peppers, onions and celery.

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