Cleaning out the Pantry: Chicken Spaghetti

Growing up many a meal was concocted with a variety of canned goods, packages of pasta and other pantry staple.  Tuna noodle casseroles.  Chili.  A huge assortment of casseroles.  They were quick.  Usually uber salty.  And damn tasty.

Since then, I've steered away from a lot of canned goods.  Broth is homemade.  The last four months most of the tomatoes I used were canned myself.  Yogurt, sour cream and creme friache spiked with herbs and sauteed onions have replaced  cream of something soups.  Even beans are usually of the dry variety instead of dished out of cans.  Pasta...well, I'm not quite ambitious enough to make my own pasta most days.

But on the rare occurrence, I will dive into the pantry to dig out something full of nostalgia and comfort.  This dinner is a quick and dirty treat.

adapted from the Boomer Brief

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz angel hair pasta
1 - 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1 - 10 oz can diced tomatoes w/ chilies
1 cup shredded cheese

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 350

Boil the pasta as per package directions, drain and set aside

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, fry the chicken in a little oil until cooked through and well browned on each side, about 7 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and set aside until cool enough to handle.  Once cooled, cut into bite-sized chunks.

Combine the chicken, pasta, soup, sour cream and tomatoes in a 2 qt baking dish.  Cover and bake thirty minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.  Remove foil.  Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown.

Serve hot.