July 29, 2016
Fabulous Friday Flavour: Creamy Tomato Spaghetti topped with Pan-fried Coriander Chicken
Shock horror when I discovered that we had run out of food to feed ourselves after a late errand run one evening.
It was way past the kids’ usual dinner time, we have ran out of the home-made frozen meals which I usually would have cooked in advance for the kids and I was not up for Silver Bullet’s idea of ordering snacks to tide us over for dinner.
It was not an ideal situation as not only was there almost nothing left to cook at home (or so I thought!), I was also mindful that I did not want to keep the kids waiting too long while I whipped up something that could take a while.
But! I had plain, boiled spaghetti kept in the fridge from the day before and scouring further, I found a can of tomato puree, coriander powder, fresh frozen slices of chicken breasts and a variety of cheeses in the fridge. We also have a pot of fresh basil leaves which we are growing at home.
That was that. And I ended up with a new home-cooked meal recipe which was creamy, hearty and satisfying.
This has been a big surprise to me as I was initially skeptical that the kids would even eat it given their general dislike for anything tomato-based. But I was delighted that they gave it a go, liked it – no LOVED it, finished everything off their plate (sauce and all!), asked for more and then again several days later.
For a mother, that is the best compliment ever. And to think that I thought there was nothing to cook! This one is a definite keeper. Enjoy.
- 200-300 grams chicken breasts, sliced
- 2 tspn coriander powder
- 1 clove garlic
- Half tspn rosemary
- 2-3 drops of Worcestershire sauce
- A good dose of black pepper
- Pinch of salt
- 4 pieces of thinly sliced chicken deli
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Half a cube of chicken bouillon
- 1 small can of tomato puree
- 2-3 tbsp light cream cheese
- A handful of grated cheese (I used old gouda)
- Half a cup fresh skimmed milk
- 5-6 basil leaves chopped
- Some water
- Salt to taste
- Half a packed spaghetti noodles
- 4 tbsp cooking butter to fry the chicken
- Cook half a packed spaghetti noodles per instructions on pack. Set aside.
- Defrost chicken. Rub garlic, coriander powder and rosemary onto the chicken
- Add seasoning and pan-fry in cooking butter till browned
- Remove chicken from the pan and set aside once cooked
- Use the remaining oil from the chicken to saute onions and garlic
- Add in sliced chicken deli and chicken stock. Stir well.
- Add tomato puree and mix well. When the sauce gets a little bubbly, mix in the cream and grated cheese
- Add milk and mix well. If it gets too thick, add some water
- Add chopped basil leaves and boil for about 5-8 minutes
- Mix in the spaghetti noodles and stir well
- Top with additional basil leaves for garnish
- Best eaten when sauce is freshly made. The use of chicken deli adds flavour to the sauce while milk is optional as I used it mostly to thin the sauce but without diluting the creamy flavour.
It’s been a while since I have done any link-up and I thought that I’ll join in the fun at for Fiesta Friday #130 this week!
You’re a super mom! This sounds yummy!
Hahahah! Thanks, Jas! I’m not so sure about “super” but I guess they kind of show up for every mother when there’s a crisis! Iw as relieved when it turned out yummy. LOL.
I can see why your kids liked the sauce, very flavorful and the tomato puree did not dominate like in so many recipes. Great recipe and thanks so much for joining us at Fiesta Friday 🙂
😀 I think that could be the reason too. Thank you for stopping by, Judi!
I love creamy pasta. This looks so good!
Looks good, tasted even better! ;p Thank you for stopping by, Jhuls! 🙂
You are indeed a mother of Inventions! That looks delish..even me would have a nod devouring it. My daughter loves pasta too but only with tomato sauce,she disliked the white sauce which her father loves.Sometimes I’m torn which one to cook and to feed..LOL
Hehehehe! I’ve realised that every mother would be able to miraculously invent something when the need is dire. LOL. That’s a conundrum indeed…you need to get your daughter on the white and her father on the tomato sauce. I think it would be easier to convince the kid (eventually) vs the adult who has made up his mind not to ever eat it. LOL
Way to save the day. I can’t believe you came up with this fabulous meal last minute. Thanks for sharing:)
Hahhaa! I surprised me as well, Lily! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Sometimes great dishes comes from last minute, search your cupboards and this looks like a great dish. It doesn’t look last minute at all, brilliant 🙂 Thank you for bringing it to Fiesta Friday!
Those last minute dishes are full of surprises, Petra! I’ve got moments when they turned out absolute crap as well! Thank you for your kind words and for dropping by! 🙂