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Friday, February 16, 2007

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Tomatoes

Updated from the archives September 29, 2010:

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 2

When I first started blogging, I had far fewer pictures so most of my posts were written within a day or so of cooking or dining out. I had my old Canon SD110, with its thumb-sized LCD screen, so it was always hard to tell if the picture would turn out well. I didn't edit my photos, still don't really, just sorted through to select which ones I wanted to use. Then uploaded and blogged.

These days, the camera is better, and I also attempt to plate my food a little bit so it looks more appetizing. Still don't edit my photos much, but the watermarking now sometimes takes longer than the blogging. When I first posted this recipe three years ago, blogging was much less competitive. I just cooked, ate, uploaded, wrote and that was that. Sometimes I wish it was still that easy.

Anyway, I've been updating old posts with better pictures, sometimes tweaking the recipes a bit. I haven't made this recipe since I blogged it long ago. But, I needed a quick dinner tonight, the kind that takes less than half an hour to make, and all these flavors totally hit the spot.

I had seconds.

You probably will too.

And it'd be a shame to let this simple and tasty recipe remain buried in my archives.

Original commentary below.

This is one of those pasta dishes that comes about when I start hunting around my kitchen trying to decide what to make for dinner.

Lil' sis had a few chicken breasts thawing because she planned to grill them and eat them with rice. I had a package of bacon I've been meaning to turn into Pasta Carbonara, but used the last of my eggs for Chinese Hot and Sour Soup. I was out of spaghetti noodles, but had angel hair, which I tend to like more because it's lighter anyway. And I always keep diced tomatoes around for salsa or quick pasta or soup. All the flavors came together really well in the end.

The salad is a mix of mizuna, arugula, and spinach leaves I got from the farmers' market. Since I had balsamic vinegar in the pasta too, the salad and pasta could be served together and the combined tastes are fine.

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 3

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Tomatoes

For two servings, you'll need:
1/2 pound of angel hair pasta, or any other pasta of your choice
6 strips of bacon, diced
1 chicken breast or thigh, diced or sliced into strips
4 Roma tomatoes, diced or 14-oz can of diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced
1 tblsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Set a pot on the stove to boil water for the angel hair pasta.

Dice the bacon. In a large pan, saute the bacon until the edges get browned or crispy, depending on preference. While the bacon is cooking, slice the chicken and mince the garlic. Drain excess bacon fat if you must. Then add the garlic and chicken.

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 4

Add 1/2 tsp salt and about 1 or 2 tblsps balsamic vinegar while the chicken isn't fully cooked yet so it can be absorbed. Dice the tomatoes while the balsamic vinegar starts reducing into a bit of a glaze.

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 5

Add 4 diced Roma tomatoes or a 14-oz can of diced tomatoes and mix thoroughly.

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 6

Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes to soften the tomatoes.

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 7

Add the cooked pasta and toss until all ingredients are combined. If you timed it right, there's no need to drain the pasta. The angel hair should be ready by the time the sauce is ready. So I just use a pasta spoon to scoop the pasta directly into the sauce and toss.

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 8

Plate and serve with a light mixed green salad.

Enjoy!

The recipe was essentially the same. The pasta actually didn't look all that different. But, I think the newer photos at least do this recipe more justice.

Angel Hair Pasta with Balsamic Chicken, Bacon, and Diced Tomatoes 1

Other quick pasta recipes:
Broccoli Bacon Pasta
Chicken Piccata
Farfalle with Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Corn
Pasta Carbonara
Pasta Pomodoro (Italian Pasta with Tomatoes)
Pesto Pasta

2 comments:

  1. Your instructions with the pictures make it seems easy enough for someone like me to follow. Will give it a try. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Co Toan,
    It's a super simple recipe, but I've always liked these flavors together.

    ReplyDelete

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