So here we are back to pasta, this has absolutely become a main stay in our household both for its value and for its variations. Today is what I call Tex Mex Chicken with spaghetti, this is a new dish so please feel free to offer feedback and ways in which you think the dish could be improved.

Tex Mex Chicken with Spaghetti

serves 4

• 300g chicken cut into thin strips
• 1 onion diced
• 1 red pepper diced
• 150g mushrooms sliced
• 1 heaped teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 3 garlic cloves or 3tsp garlic granules
• 1/2tsp chilli powder (add more if you like it very hot)
• 1/4tsp chilli flakes
• 1dsp cornflour
• 3/4 pint of boiling water
• 1/4 pint of milk (optional)
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 bay leaf.
• chopped parsley (optional)
• 100g cheese
• spaghetti

1. Heat a little oil and brown the chicken
2. Add the onion and cook until softened
3. Add the mushrooms, red pepper, smoked paprika, chilli powder and cook for a minute or two until the oils starts to come out of the paprika and chilli, add the garlic and cornflour and stir until everything is coated.
4. Add the bay leaf, chilli flakes, milk, boiling water and the stock cube and bring back to the boil stirring constantly.
5. Cook for around 30mins or until the chicken is cooked. Add the chopped parsley and cheese.
6. In conjunction with above, cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions, and drain.
7. At this point, gauge whether you feel the sauce is thick enough, it should be thick enough to coat the pasta but fluid enough to mix easily. If you feel it should be a little thicker, mix 1 heaped tsp of cornflour with a little milk and add slowly to the sauce, stirring all the time.
8. Pour the pasta into the sauce and mix thoroughly, serve with crusty bread.

Next week, is as much a lunch as an evening meal but I’ve chosen it because the school holidays shall be almost over and this is one for the kids to get involved with. Puff pastry pizza bites.  For this you shall need, 1pkt pre rolled puff pastry, tomato purée and whatever toppings your family like most, ie onion, mushrooms, pepperoni etc.