Creamy pasta with chicken and sweetcorn
A note from the chef... This is a quick and versatile recipe. Once you become familiar with it feel free to swap ingredients around. If you would like a vegetarian version, you could turn it into a creamy mushroom pasta by swapping the chicken and sweetcorn with mushrooms and adding some herbs at the end.
SERVES 4
Cook in 20 minutes
Approximately £1 per person
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
300g chicken fillet, cut into bite size pieces
250g tinned sweetcorn, drained
100g cream cheese
300g pasta Salt and pepper
1. Put the oil, onion and garlic in a pan over low heat. Cook for a couple minutes to soften the onion but do not let it colour.
2. Add the chicken and cook through (no pink should remain if cutting one of the bits in half). Add the sweetcorn and stir for a minute.
3. Lower the heat, add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Take of the heat and season to taste.
4. Cook the pasta: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add salt. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook for 8-12 min, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Drain the pasta, keeping a cup full of the water.
5. Return the drained pasta into a large saucepan and add the creamy chicken and sweetcorn mix. Return to low heart.
6. Stir together and gradually add the saved water to thin the sauce if needed. If you add too much just cook it until the liquid has reduced. 8. Season and make sure it is heated through before serving.
This recipe would also work really well with left over ham or gammon. You could also swap the sweetcorn for any other vegetables that you and your family prefer. It works wonderfully with mushrooms and pepper. Aim for a rainbow of vegetables in your day! Cook more than you need, and it is perfect for lunch the next day. Just put it in the fridge once cooled.
