no waste chicken

On my Instagram post @aimeesapron, I called this no waste chicken, but really this is a quick Italian inspired way to use up a combination of left overs and items that were soon to go bad.

Believe it or not sometimes, I don’t feel like cooking. I work full-time for an ad agency and then full-time as wife and mother and on those days I feel like I have to give myself a little pep talk. Sometimes, I challenge myself. What can I make in 30 minutes or less and also use up any items I have on-hand?

That night, I has fresh chicken breasts that were only going to last a few more days or would need to be frozen. I had about a half a cup of really good marinara sauce, but definitely not enough for a whole pasta meal and a handful of dry pasta at the bottom of a box. And presto, no waste chicken was born.

no waste chicken

makes 4 servings

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• A cup of fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup of marinara sauce
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese
• A handful or so of left over dried pasta (uncooked)
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• Parmesan cheese to taste

1. Bring two cups of water to a boil and lightly salt the water. Add the dry pasta in, stirring occasionally until cooked al dente.
2. Next, add the frozen peas to the pasta water until they are warmed through. This only takes a few minutes. Why dirty up another pot?
3. Drain the pasta and the peas and set aside.
4. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
5. Bring a pan to medium-high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil and crushed garlic and add the chicken breasts, browning on both sides. Once cooked, remove the chicken on a plate to rest and set aside.
6. Add the fresh spinach to the same pan with a pinch of salt to take on the flavor of the chicken bits. Yum!
7. Once the spinach is wilted, add the chicken back in and place some spinach leaves over each piece of chicken breast.
8. Next, place a slice of mozzarella cheese over the spinach and chicken.
9. Toss the pasta and peas into the pan with the chicken to warm through.
10. Drizzle the marinara sauce over the chicken and pasta and put the lid on the pan for about 2-3 minutes until the marinara sauce it warmed through and the cheese has melted nicely over the chicken.

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