Garlic Chicken Spinach Pasta

I'm excited about this recipe because I created it on my own by using components of two separate recipes I had found to come up with a new dish! :) I call it Garlic Chicken Spinach Pasta because those are the main ingredients. ;)

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 box of angel hair pasta (I used a 14.5 oz pkg of Barilla Plus)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb chicken strips (I used a bag of pre-cooked, seasoned strips, but you could use strips of boneless chicken breast)
• 1 bag baby spinach (I used a 5 oz bag)

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs to skillet and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, or until lightly browned. Add half of the garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook this for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Set this mixture aside and wipe the skillet clean.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock, salt and pepper to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for as long as the box's directions indicate.

Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the Parmesan cheese until it is completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream.

Back in the skillet, reduce the heat to low and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, garlic and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook this for about 2 minutes, or until garlic is golden.

Add the chicken strips and cook until they are heated well throughout, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the spinach to the skillet and toss until wilted, about 2 to 4 minutes.

Stir the chicken-spinach mixture into the pasta mixture.

Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and serve while hot. Enjoy!

Yuuuuuummmm...

I have mentioned in the past that I prefer pasta dishes that aren't sauce heavy (i.e. Tag Pic Pac at Carrabba's and Capellini Pomodoro at Macaroni Grill). This dish is great in that it is mostly pasta lightly coated with the cheese and cream mixture and enhanced with all of the other flavors. I love the contrasting crunch that the panko crumbs add on top. Perfection! This would actually be great as a finishing topping on lots of dishes!

I hope that you enjoy this dish if you try it. It will definitely find a spot in our rotation. :)