Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Unbelievable Chicken & Pasta

This recipe turned up on AllRecipes.com on a night when I wanted to try something new without having to get anything from the store. I lucked out when I found this gem, using things I had readily available AND only taking half an hour to prepare!

I made a few adjustments based on what I keep around regularly, and added a little seasoning to suit the tastebuds of my brood. The title link goes back to the original recipe, here's my take on it!

Laura's Unbelievable Chicken and Pasta

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups chicken broth (homemade, or 1 can store-bought)
1 (10 oz) package either fresh or frozen spinach
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cubed
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 box penne pasta

Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of water, and cook the pasta.

2. In a large skillet, cook the chicken in the chicken broth, simmering until done, about 10 minutes. (If you are using fresh spinach, add it with the chicken).

3. Add cubed cream cheese (and frozen spinach if you are using that), stir until it melts with the broth. Add pepper, salt and garli powder. Return it to a simmer, and cook another 5-7 minutes.

4. Add diced tomatoes, and cook about 3 minutes more, until sauce thickens slightly.

5. In a large bowl, mix the drained pasta with the chicken mixture, toss well and let stand a few minutes before serving!

Total Cost:
Chicken - $1.99
Chicken broth - Free!! (I make my own and freeze it!)
Spinach - $1.50 (fresh)
Cream Cheese - $0.99
Diced Tomatoes (1/2 a 28 oz can) - $0.45
Pasta - $1.00
Seasonings - $0.05

Grand Total - $5.98 for 6-8 servings - that's $0.75-$1.00 per serving!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's a very similar recipe in the Kraft Food + Family magazine (using rice instead of pasta). It's delicious!

Keely said...

Groceries must be a lot cheaper in the US, because that chicken would cost me at least 7 bucks. But I have a package of cream cheese laying around, so I may try this!

savvysuzie said...

Keely - there probably is a cost difference in Canada - but it has a lot to do with how I buy groceries...I found that I can get most any meat for under $2 a pound here...watch your store sales for about 8 weeks and you'll probably figure out what your lowest price would be...then buy a LOT! :)

 
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