Erin Smith

Chicken Siciliano

            My father was not always given the best plot in life, but darn can that man cook! Even when times got tough, he always made sure that my sister and I had smiles on our faces and food in our bellies. Of course, when times do get tough, a man must get creative to feed two hungry, growing teenage girls on a budget. I really commend him on his creativity and ingenuity in the kitchen. It was in a moment a pure culinary inspiration did my father create Chicken Siciliano. He was able to alter a recipe for steak that he found a long time ago by replacing the steak with chicken and using ingredients he already had in his kitchen. The result was a delicious home-cooked meal and a lot of new, happy memories.

Ingredients:

·         4 small chicken breasts

·         1 box of angel hair pasta

Ingredients for sauce:

·         1 small red onion, chopped

·         1 medium green pepper, sliced

·         1 can diced tomatoes

·         1 can mushrooms

·         ¼ teaspoon minced garlic

·         1 tablespoon chopped bacon

·         ¼ cup olive oil

·         ¼ cup beef stock

·         1 pinch of oregano

·         1 pinch of basil

·         1 bay leaf

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.      Place a medium sized saucepan (with lid) on the stove with low heat.

2.      Pour the oil and chopped bacon into the pan.

3.      When the bacon is crisp, add the peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes to the pan. Place the lid on the pan and allow to cook until the vegetables are tender.

4.      Add the remaining ingredients and let the sauce cook (covered) for one hour or more.

5.      In a separate pot, boil the pasta until the noodles are soft and ready to eat.

6.      Grill the chicken breasts to desired preparedness.

7.      When the sauce is finished, combine the pasta, sauce, and chicken and serve.