Noodle craze: Cheesy chicken spaghetti

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Whenever I want to cook something quick and easy, I always lean towards pasta. Pasta would also be at the center of the dining table whenever we have a family celebration, especially birthdays. Now, I’m tomato based pasta type of girl and majority of the family prefers cream based sauces. I just prefer the flavor a tomato offers and I find cream based pasta bland for my taste, maybe it how it is cooked – maybe. Fortunately, I have found a cream-based pasta that exudes so much flavor and it has the perfect balance of salty, savory and creaminess.

First and foremost let us prepare all the ingredients that we need. Thaw the chicken breast fillet ahead of time especially if you do not prefer the microwave method of thawing then gather all the vegetables that you’ll be needing. Slice the red onions thinly, crush the garlic with the help of the mortar and pestle, dice the bell pepper and tomatoes. As for the dry ingredients, you have to gather them as well. Open the cans that need to be opened, measure and set aside the powder ingredients. Lastly, you’ll have grate cheddar cheese. Once the chicken is completely thawed, you’ll need to slice it into strips and you’re all done with prep, now let the cooking begin!

Depends on what you like to do first, but I like to cook the pasta first. In a large pot of boiling water, sprinkle some salt then add the spaghetti noodles. Let that cook for ten (10) minutes. Next, you’ll need to have a medium-sized saucepan half-filled with water. Add the chicken bouillon, onion powder and garlic powder then place the chicken. Let it boil for 20 minutes. Once that’s done, take the chicken out and let it cool. Set aside 1/2 cup of the chicken broth.

On a saute pan, with two (2) tablespoons of canola oil saute the garlic and onions until its golden brown and translucent. Time to add the tomatoes, mushrooms and bell pepper. Cook the tomatoes until they’re soft and the mushrooms and bell pepper are tender. After that, pour in the cream of chicken, chicken broth, chicken strips and grated cheese. Make sure to mix well then you’re good to go.

Just a few pointers with regards to the pasta. Adding olive oil or any type of cooking oil to the water that cooks the noodles is optional. I’ve recently discovered that yes it may help from sticking, but the noodles won’t be able to absorb the sauce. Another pointer is to make sure you use a large pot to cook your pasta and try to reduce the flame enough to maintain a steady boil.

Here’s a breakdown of how much its costs to make this: Chicken breast – Php 214.00 Spaghetti noodles – Php 52.50 (for 450 grams) Red onions- Php 36.82 Bell pepper – Php 22.11 Garlic – Php 26.21 Tomatoes – Php 11.06 Chicken bouillon – Php 56.00 (for 12 pieces) Cream of chicken – Php 109.00 (for 300 grams) Mushroom – Php 31.50 (for 198 grams) Cheddar cheese – Php 190.00 (for 227 grams) Garlic powder – Php 28.50 (for 30 grams) Onion powder – Php 67.50 Salt – Php 10.00

Chicken Pork Adobo

Chicken Pork Adobo

Almost every Filipino knows how to cook adobo. It’s one of the first things you learn in terms of Filipino-style cooking. It’s basic, it’s simple, but yet the balance of sweet, savory and vinegary flavors just makes this dish so delicate. There are far too many variations of adobo in the Philippines alone since every province (state) has their added their twist to it. This recipe that I have for you is the simplest form of adobo that I know of.

Before we start cooking, let us set-up all of the ingredients and tools that we need. Thawing the pork shoulder and chicken. You’ll need at least a couple of hours set aside for this especially if you are not a fan of using the microwave for this. Now once that’s done, it’s time to make our pork shoulder and chicken soft yet tender with the help of your pressure cooker. Fill that up with water, just until the pork and the chicken are completely submerged and sprinkle a pinch of salt then leave that for 30 minutes, one (1) hour tops. Now while that’s doing its job, this just gives you an ample amount of time to start preparing the other ingredients. You’ll need your chopping board and your trusty knife to peel and thinly slice the onions and with the addition of your mortar and pestle to crush the garlic. Measure out all of the liquid ingredients, place them on small bowls and set them aside together with the dry ingredients.

Once the pork shoulder and chicken are soft yet tender, with as little liquid left from the previous step, pour the vinegar and bring it to a boil without stirring and uncovered for five (5) minutes. Once the five (5) minutes is up pour the soy sauce, add in the brown sugar, bay leaves and peppercorn then mix it very well. Let it cook until the sauce is reduced. Adjust the flavor to your liking and season it with a little salt and pepper and you’re good. 🙂

Here’s a breakdown of how much it costs to make this dish: 1/2 kilo pork shoulder- Php 85.36 1/2 kilo chicken- Php 117.83 Canola oil(48 oz.)- Php 301.50 Red onions- Php 17.94 Garlic- Php 26.21 White vinegar(385 grams)- Php 13.50 Soy sauce(385 grams)- Php 16.00 Salt- Php 10.00 Black pepper- Php 32.50 Brown sugar- Php 45.75

Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry

Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry

What you’ll need:

1/4 kilo of chicken breast fillet

1 bunch of broccoli
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 cup of water

2 pieces of chicken bouillon
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of muscovado sugar

What to prep for:

* Defrost the chicken breast fillets
* Slice the chicken into strips
* Slice the red and green bell pepper into strips
* Break off the broccoli stems
* The chicken broth: Boil 1 cup of water the add one (1) chicken
bouillon. Wait for it to completely dissolve then set it aside

How to do it:

1. On a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the chicken until it is brown

2. Add the vegetables and the remaining chicken bouillon. Cook until the broccoli
is crisp and bright green.

3. Mix in the chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and sugar. Let it boil for
two (2) minutes and you’re done.

Serves four (4) people | Best served with a cup of rice 🙂

Note on this recipe:

* I used muscovado sugar as a somewhat healthy alternative to white sugar.
Another alternative will be brown sugar, just reduce the amount to two (2)
teaspoons.

How much did everything cost?

Chicken breast fillet – Php 129.79
Broccoli – Php 23.87
Red bell pepper – Php 9.52
Green bell pepper – Php 9.52
Olive oil – Php 128.50
Soy sauce – Php 16.00
Chicken bouillon – Php 28.00
Cornstarch – Php 22.50
Muscovado sugar – Php 117.50

Honey Mustard Chicken

One fun fact about me – I prefer having chicken more than any kind of meat. It’s so much easier to prep, cook and eat (at least in my opinion). So I find different kinds of recipes or ways to cook chicken and this is my latest find, Honey Mustard Chicken.

Honey Mustard Chicken

What you’ll need

1/2 kilo of chicken breast fillet
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons of mustard
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1 bulb of red onion
1 green bell pepper
1 can of mushrooms
1 teaspoon of parsley leaves

1 piece of chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon  of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper

What to prep

– Defrost the chicken
– The chicken marinate: garlic powder, salt and pepper
– Slice the green bell pepper into stripes
– Slice the onion
– Mix the honey and mustard on a bowl
– Let the butter settle in room temperature
– Bring out the olive oil, mushrooms, parsley leaves, chicken bouillon, minced garlic, salt and pepper

How to do it

1. Marinate the chicken in the chicken marinade for ten (10) minutes.

2. On a medium sized non-stick pan over medium heat, melt and heat the olive oil and butter. Then saute the onions until translucent. Once done, add the green bell pepper, minced garlic, and mushrooms.

3. Add the chicken bouillon and the chicken. Cook until the chicken is brown.

4. Add the honey mustard mixture. Make sure that all of the the chickens are coated. Cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is sticky.

5. Taste it. Add salt or pepper if needed. Top of with parsley leaves.

Serves four (4) people | Best served with hot rice. 🙂

Note on this recipe

* As you can see I add green beans to the recipe. It’s because I had to use them already or else they’ll go bad. Add them if you want. 🙂

How much did everything cost?

Olive oil – Php 128.50 (for 250 grams)
Unsalted butter – Php 104.00 (for 250 grams)
Red onion –  Php 27.65
Green bell pepper – Php 10.61
Canned mushrooms – Php 63.00 (for 198 grams)
Honey – Php 250.00 (for one (1) liter)
Mustard – Php 62.50 (for 200 grams)
Chicken bouillon – Php 56.00 (for 12 pieces)
Chicken – Php 105.00 (for 1/2 kilo)
Minced garlic – Php 83.50
Garlic powder – Php 79.50
Salt – Php 10.00
Ground black pepper – Php 32.50

Noodle craze: Spaghetti ala Carbonara

Here’s my entry for day four of Pasta Week. Another cream based pasta, still haven’t perfected the creaminess yet but I’m going to keep on trying.

Carbonara

What you’ll need

200 grams spaghetti
4 slices of sweet ham
3 tablespoons of grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 egg yolks
250 grams of all purpose cream
198 grams of mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. On a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the following ingredients :
– all purpose cream
– egg yolks
– grated cheddar cheese
– ground black pepper

3. On a medium sized sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sweet ham and mushrooms until the sweet ham is lightly brown.

4. Add the cream mixture and let it simmer for two (2) minutes.

5. Toss the cream mixture, sweet ham and mushrooms together with the pasta and you’re good to go.

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

What to prep

* Defrost and slice the sweet ham into cubes
* Grate the cheddar cheese
* Slice the mushrooms in half
* Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites
* Bring out the spaghetti, olive oil, ground black pepper and all purpose cream

How much did everything cost?

200 grams spaghetti – Php 79.50
Sweet ham – Php 95.00 (for 200 grams)
Cheddar cheese – Php 182 (for 227 grams)
Olive oil – Php 128.50 (for 250 ml)
Eggs – Php 104.00 (for 10 pieces)
250 grams of all purpose cream – Php 44.50
198 grams of mushrooms – Php 31.50
Ground black pepper – Php 32.50

Noodle craze: Meaty Spaghetti

Pasta week, day three. What we have here today is a result of leftover bacon and ground beef. Meaty Spaghetti is a quick and simple recipe that you can make on any lazy afternoon or evening.

Meaty Spaghetti

What you’ll need

2 tablespoons canola oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 bulbs of red onions
5 stripes of bacon (add more if you want)
1/4 kilo of ground beef
1 can of peeled canned tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of italian seasoning

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. Cook the bacon to your liking, slice to tiny bits then set aside.

3. On a medium sized non stick sauce pan, heat the Canola oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic until golden brown. Add the onions and cook until translucent.

4. Add the ground beef and cook until they’re brown. Add the bacon and mix.

5. Pour the canned tomatoes and add the italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let it simmer for three (3) minutes.

6. Toss in the pasta once cooked, and you’re done.  🙂

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

What to prep

* Defrost ground beef
* Defrost bacon
* Slice and mash canned tomatoes
* Crush and mince garlic
* Slice red onions
* Bring out your canola oil, italian seasoning, salt and pepper

How much did everything cost?

Canola oil –  Php 301.50 (for 480oz.)
Garlic – Php 30.00 (for 1/2 kilo)
Red onions – Php 35.00 (for 1/2 kilo)
Ground beef – Php 113.27 (for 1 kilo)
Bacon – Php 162.00 (for 250 grams)
Salt – Php 10.00
Canned peeled tomatoes – Php 46.50 (for 400 grams)
Ground black pepper – Php 32.50
Italian seasoning – Php 47.50
Spaghetti – Php 79.50

Noodle craze: Chicken Alfredo spaghetti

For day two of Pasta Week, I made Chicken Alfredo spaghetti. Yes I know you are supposed to use fettuccine for Chicken Alfredo but I had to make use of what is available at my pantry. Now here’s the thing when it comes to pasta preferences, I prefer having red sauce over white sauce. For that reason, that makes me feel a bit weird because most of the people I know and my family mostly prefers white sauce – it kinda makes me an odd ball. But whatever, all people have their own preferences, it just so happens my choice is not a popular one.

So here’s my first attempt on a cream based pasta, Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti. Sad to say that I wasn’t able to achieve the result that I wanted because the sauce decided to dry up on me. I guess I’m just so used to cooking red sauce pasta and need to learn how to make a cream based pasta. Though I was not successful, I will give cream based pasta another try but for now enjoy my second entry for Pasta Week. 🙂

Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti

What you’ll need

200 grams spaghetti

2 large skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons for butter
1 teaspoon of granulated garlic
1 teaspoon of granulated onion
1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper

1 1/2 stick of butter
1 can of heavy cream
2 cups of grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 clove garlic, chopped
1 can of mushrooms, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. Season both sides of chicken with granulated garlic, onion, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Using a medium sized non-stick sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the seasoned chicken and cook until each side is golden brown.

4. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and transfer it to a chopping board and cut into bite sized pieces.

5. Using the same pan, heat the olive oil over low heat. Sauté the garlic until golden brown. Add the chopped celery, mushrooms and red bell pepper and cook for four (4) minutes then it set aside.

6. Add the softened butter on a medium sized mixing bowl. With the help of your hand mixer or an electric mixer set it on low speed, beat the butter until smooth. Once it’s smooth add the cream and pamesan cheese, stir until it is well blended.

7. Immediately add the butter mixture once the pasta is done. Toss the spaghetti in the butter mixture, to coat it well use two (2) forks. Add the chicken breasts and the sautéed vegetables, mix well. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy. 🙂

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

How much did everything cost?

Spaghetti – Php 79.50
Skinless chicken breast – Php 96.82
Granulated garlic- Php 79.00
Onion powder- Php 67.50
Salt – Php 10.00
Pepper – Php 32.50
Butter – Php 104.00
Heavy cream – Php 64.50
Grated parmesan cheese- Php 97.50
Olive oil – Php 128.50
Garlic – Php 83.50
Canned mushrooms – Php 31.50
Red bell pepper – Php 34.50
Celery – Php 25.45

Noodle craze: Spaghetti ala Arrabiatta

I used to post everyday and it’s been a while since I’ve done that because of a number of reasons. I would like to make it up to the few followers that I have, so I christen this day as Pasta Week. Pasta is my go to food to order whenever I don’t want to eat a heavy meal. The recipe that I am about to share is one of my absolute  favorites and what I have whenever I crave for something spicy.

So ladies and gents for the start of Pasta week, I present spaghetti ala Arrabiatta. Enjoy. 🙂

Spaghetti ala Arrabiatta

What you’ll need

200 grams spaghetti
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons of red chili flakes
1 teaspoon of parsley, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 can (400 grams) whole peeled tomatoes, dice then mash it

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. In a medium sized non-stick sauce pan, heat olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the garlic, parsley and red chili flakes.

3. Once the garlic transforms into a beautiful golden brown color, add canned whole tomatoes and let it simmer.

4. When it’s already simmering, taste the sauce and add salt, if you find it a little bland. Once you’ve adjust the taste to your liking let it simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add cooked pasta and make sure to mix them well. Enjoy.  🙂

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

Notes on this recipe

*  The amount of chili flakes completely depends to your liking. If you want it to be milder or if you want to be a fire breathing person, its all up to you

* The pasta that is usually used for Arrabiatta is Penne but unfortunately I just ran out of it so I opted to use spaghetti.

* I just opted to use chili flakes since that is what is available to me at the moment, but you can also use red chili.

How much did everything cost?

Spaghetti – Php 79.50
Garlic –  Php 83.50
Olive oil – Php 128.50
Red chili flakes – Php 75.00
Parsley – Php 46.30
Salt – Php 10.00
Canned whole tomatoes – Php 46.50

Noodle craze: Chap Chae

Chap chae is one of my favorite Korean dishes. Everytime I find my self in a Korean fast food or restaurant I would always order this. What I love about Chap chae is the mixture of sweet and salty flavors of the sauce in which they cook everything with and how it serves a balanced dish. You have your carbohydrates with the noodles, protein in the meat and you the vegetables – what more can you ask for?

Here’s a recipe of Chap Chae, I hope you like it as much as I do.

Chap chae

What you’ll need
 
250 grams Vermicelli noodles
100 grams sirloin beef, sliced thinly
1 can of canned button mushrooms
1/4 cup of carrots, jullianed
a handful of cabbage
1 onion, sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup light soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons white sugar

sesame seeds for garnish
 
How to do it

1.  Prepare the vermicelli noodles as per instructions of the packaging.

2. Combine and mix the following ingredient in a small bowl:
– Garlic
– Light soy sauce
– Sesame oil
– White Sugar (Make sure to mix the sugar until it dissoloves)

This will serve as your sauce mixture. Set aside.

3. In a medium sized saute pan, heat canola oil over low heat.

4. Sauté the onions, and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are slightly tender.

5. Cook the beef slices for 2 to 3 minutes, then add in the carrots and cabbage.

6. Pour the sauce mixture to, then add in the noodles. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Serves four (4)  to six (6) people | Sprinkle some sesame seeds if desired. 🙂

Notes on this recipe

* If ever vermicelli noodles is not available, you can also use mung bean noodles (glass noodles)

* The shitake mushrooms here are quite pricey so I prefer using your regular button mushrooms

* For the cabbage, you can substitute it with spinach leaves

How much did everything cost?

Vermicelli noodles – Php 29.50
Sirloin beef – Php 358.62
Canned mushrooms – Php 31.50
Carrots – Php 20.64
Cabbage – Php 26.75
Red onion – Php 41.89
Minced garlic – Php 83.50
Canola oil – Php 171.50
Light soy sauce – Php 44.50
White sugar – Php 26.00
Sesame seeds – Php 11.50

Chicken Curry

I remember during my younger years until I graduated high school I would always steer clear of all kinds of spicy foods and this was because of my memories when I was a kid. This was all because as a kid I loved to munch on spicy nachos. I would eat a lot of it then the after effect would be a really really bad tummy ache and I would need to take an antacid, so my parents would never give or feed me spicy foods. Not until I entered a whole new world that was “college”. During my second year in college after my classes I would sometimes hang out with my friends have a few drinks and they would munch on spicy snacks and one of them is sisig. I’ve never ever tried sisig and I would envy them because it looked so good and they would really have fun eating it, so one day I gave in. I took a spoonful of sisig, and I LOVED IT! It was like a whole new world opened up for me. From there on I would never pass up any spicy dishes, and dealt with the consequences later if ever I needed to.

Now you must remember my family is not that adventurous in terms of trying out new kinds of viands, they would sometimes always stick to the dishes they are already familiar with. My palate was only educated when I started dating. One day the love of my life prepared and cooked Chicken Curry when I visited him at home and it blew my mind away, it instantly became my new favorite dish and I would always order one whenever we’re at an indian restaurant and always pair it with roti.

This a version of chicken curry that I would love to share with you, hope you love it.

Chicken Curry

What you’ll need

1/2 kilo of Chicken breast
1 whole Red Onion
4 tablespoons of Curry Powder
1/4 cup of Heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of All-purpose cream
2 tablespoons of Olive oil
1 piece of Chicken Cube
1 Red Bell pepper (sliced, stripes)
6 Potatoes (3: mashed potatoes and 3: sliced, quarter)
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Pepper

How to do it

1. Prep all the ingredients needed.
– Chop the onions
– Season the chicken
– Peel all the potatoes
– Chop the bell pepper
– Slice the three (3) remaining potatoes.

2. Grab three (3) potatoes, set aside the other three (3). In a medium sized sauce pan, place the
potatoes then add cold water until the potatoes are covered. Set it on high heat then bring it to a boil.
Once boiling lower the heat to low and just let it simmer. Cook the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes. When you can poke the potato with a fork, remove from heat and drain. Start mashing the potatoes.

3. Prepare the chicken broth: Using the same medium sized sauce pan (make sure to rinse it first), place a cup of water. Drop the chicken cube, once the chicken cube has dissolved and the liquid is boiling remove from heat.

4. In a medium sized casserole over low heat, saute the onions until translucent
together with the olive oil.

5. Place the chicken and brown each side for ten (10) minutes.

6. Add the curry powder, red bell pepper, and potatoes.

7. Mix in the chicken broth that you’ve prepared earlier. Let it cook for
20 minutes or until the chicken is well cooked.

8. Add the heavy whipping cream, all-purpose cream and the mashed potatoes to
thicken the sauce.

Serves four (4) people | Best served with roti or rice. 🙂

Notes on this recipe

* Instead of using heavy cream and all purpose cream, you can also use plain yogurt or coconut milk.

* For added flavor, you can add and/or substitute (curry powder) for either of the following spices/ingredients:
– Turmeric powder
– Coriander powder
– Cumin seeds powder
– Red chili powder
– Ginger

How much did everything cost?

Chicken breast – Php 117. 83
Red Onion – Php 24.24
Red Bell pepper – Php 31.51
Curry Powder – Php 19.75
Heavy whipping cream – Php 190.00
All-purpose cream – Php 89.00
Olive oil – Php 128.50
Chicken Cube -Php 28.00
Potatoes – Php 27.16
Salt – Php 10.00
Pepper – Php 32.50