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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Achieving Fangirl Status: Monterrey Chicken Skillet

So.
According to Urban Dictionary, a fangirl is:
 "A rabid breed of human female who is obesessed with either a fictional character or an actor. Similar to the breed of fanboy. Fangirls congregate at anime conventions and livejournal. Have been known to glomp, grope, and tackle when encountering said obesessions."Hugh Jackman: 'ello. Fangirl: SQUEEEEEE! *immediately attaches to Jackman's leg* Jackman: Security!
I'm getting close to the point where I am a total fangirl of Beth and her website, Budget Bytes.  I have to admit I'm not planning to grope her, though...I'm making no guarantees about attaching myself to her leg.  How about just sit in her kitchen and love her process?  Maybe question her a lot about costing out recipes, and how she manages to get some things so cheaply?  Yeah, that doesn't sound obsessive.  
I discovered Budget Bytes not long after joining Pinterest.  I read the "Top 20 for 2012" post, and started trying recipes:  Chicken Meatball Teriyaki Bowls, Black Bean Quesadillas, and beans in the crockpot.  Anything I've made has worked, has been full of flavour, and I've been told that I'm more than welcome to make it again.  What's not to love?
When I saw this recipe on her website, I was a little skeptical about the combination of flavours.  I don't use BBQ sauce a whole lot, and I wasn't sure about the sweet with everything else.  Neither was J.  He asked if maybe I thought I should leave the sauce out.  But I decided to stick with the process.  I mean, I hadn't been steered wrong before.  
Just as well.  The BBQ sauce was a nice touch.  
I present to you now Budget Bytes' Monterrey Chicken Skillet:

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1 lb whole wheat fusilli
2 c chicken broth
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c BBQ sauce
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped

Method
1.  In a large skillet, combine Rotel, chicken, pasta and broth.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to keep the pasta from sticking.
2.  Pasta should be tender in 15 minutes, and the liquid should be almost absorbed into the pasta mixture.  Drizzle with BBQ sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Recover with the lid and stand 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.
3.  Sprinkle with bacon and green onions before serving.
From Budget Bytes 

I had never cooked pasta like this before.  It won't be the last time.  The heat from the Rotel cooked into the pasta.  It was delicious.  As well, the starch from the pasta mixed with the remaining broth and thickened it into a sauce.
When you unearth cooked chicken in your freezer like I did, this really does take all of 20 minutes to make.  I cooked the bacon while the pasta cooked.  The cheese melted fast, and we were ready to eat.
I mean, how can you not love bacon?

Or anything else in this dish.  Another winner!  Yep.  Fangirl.  That's me.  SQUEEEE!

2 comments:

  1. Ooh that does look good. I have a few recipes for these all in one pasta dishes and they're universally well-received. I've made a few things from her site before and they didn't disappoint. This has encouraged me to make more! Thanks for sharing!

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