Thai Chicken Pasta
When I think of pasta—and I that’s all too often—I think of Italy. But I’ve eaten noodles all over the world and for good reason: they’re safe, recognizable, flavor laden, and cheap. I’ve seen them combined with every imaginable food from land, sea and air. Yes, noodles adapt to any cuisine, are soothing to the traveler, and a standby in the home kitchen.
So when I ran onto this Thai Chicken Pasta—supposedly a riff on California Pizza Kitchen’s popular dish—I gave it a try. The ingredient list seemed reasonably healthy: carrots, napa cabbage, chicken, and onions. It didn’t involve anything more exotic than chili-garlic sauce, which I already had. The garlic, ginger, honey, soy and sesame oil meant the flavors would be lively.
Aggh! One Item Missing
Off I went to the store for the napa cabbage. But have you ever tried going to the grocery for one item? Unless you wear blinders, take only a change purse, or have a fussy two-year-old in tow, it can’t be done. I wound up with a couple grocery sacks of things that I needed—or though I needed. I excused myself, after all I’m a food blogger. Gotta have the resources of the trade.
Ready for the noodle addition
This dish is a breeze because you get to do two things at once. As you boil the noodles, you can assemble the remaining ingredients. Shoe stringing the carrots takes the most time. But don’t skip this step, because it adds a colorful shape and interest to the dish and reduces the cooking time.
As to the chicken, you can season and saute a few boneless chicken breasts in a skillet until golden and then cut them into 3/4″ pieces. Or you can tear apart a deli chicken with your bare hands. Your call. Recipe here.
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