Chinese Chicken with Pasta

How many ways can I cook chicken and still get the kids to eat it?  Mixing it with pasta is always a good bet (another is wrapping it in a tortilla or serving it with a sauce like ketchup or BBQ – what is your secret?).  This is really a combination of a few, different recipes so try them both and have your own taste test. 

Ingredients

Chinese Chicken with Pasta

1. Chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
2. Olive oil
3. Kosher salt
4. Ground black pepper
5. 1 bunch asparagus
6. Red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into bite size pieces, optional
7. Thin spaghetti
8. 1-2 T toasted sesame seeds
9. Scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, optional

Dressing #1

1. ½ c vegetable oil
2. 1/8 c apple cider vinegar
3. 1/6 c soy sauce
4. 1 ½ T toasted sesame oil
5. ½ T honey
6. 1 garlic clove, minced (or ½ t pre-minced garlic)
7. 1 t peeled, grated fresh ginger (or ½ t ginger powder)
8. salt and pepper to taste

Dressing #2

1. ¼ c soy sauce
2. 2 T brown sugar
3. 1 T grated peeled fresh gingerroot (or ½ T ginger powder)
4. 4 t Asian toasted sesame oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 35-45 minutes (chicken should reach 170 degrees).  Allow to cool.  Once cooled, remove skin and pull meat from the bones.  Cut into bite size pieces.

To cook asparagus, either cut into bite size pieces (about 2 inches long) and sauté in 1 T vegetable oil or blanch (whole) in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from boiling water and drop into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain and then cut into bite size pieces.

Boil water and cook spaghetti per directions on the box (about 8 minutes).  Drain.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for either dressing #1 or #2.  Combine pasta, asparagus, chicken and red bell pepper (optional) and then pour your selected dressing over the entire mixture.  Mix.  Top with toasted sesame seeds and scallions, if desired.  Serve warm or at room temperature.