My Sunday Chicken And Pasta Curry

First of all, this is not a curry per-se. But it's a great example of what you can do with a little improvisation and ingenuity in the kitchen. I was hungry and wanted something comforting, and my mind was on mushroom and cream chicken, but I didn't have everything I needed. So I looked around the fridge and the pantry: I had pasta, chicken, some veg, and my trusty supplies of spices. So I decided to combine a little of each and make a rich, delicious yet light and comforting food. When I started to prepare the pasta and defrost the chicken, I had only a general clue as to how I was going to combine them. But as the dish progressed, it began to take shape as a personal twist on a tomato-sauce based chicken and pasta dish.
 Hope you'll enjoy it!

What you'll need:
- a pack of chicken breast
- a couple of sticks of celery
- a small white onion
- a couple of cloves of garlic
- a thumb-long piece of zucchini
- a handful of frozen vegetables (I used cauliflower, peas, green beans and carrot)
- 150-200g of penne rigate
- olive oil (a couple of tablespoons)
- one chilli (however hot you want it to be)
- half a cup of cream
- a can of tomatoes
- spices: curry powder, a bit of nutmeg, dried thyme and parsley
- salt and pepper, ofc

First off, defrost the chicken if you have to. Put a pan with water and salt on the stove, to boil the pasta. While the chicken is defrosting and the water is warming up, wash and chop the celery, the zucchini, the onion, the chilli and the garlic.
Once the chicken is defrosted, and the veggies are chopped, the water should be boiling. Add the pasta and cook for a bit shorter than the package instructions (i cooked mine 6 minutes instead of 8). Put another large frying pan or non-stick pan on the stove and let it heat up. Add oil when it's nice and hot.
Meanwhile, halve the chicken breast and then cut each piece diagonally, in piece about a finger in thickness. Season the chicken with sea salt and pepper. Put the veg in the pan, stir for about a minute, then add the chicken pieces and mix and turn them until the meat is white on all sides. Stir frequently.
By this time the pasta should be cooked. Drain it very quickly and add it to the pan, then add the handful of frozen veg. Stir for 20 seconds.
Next step, add the cream, the can of tomatoes and spices (to taste; I used about 2-3 teaspoons of curry powder, a tablespoon of nutmeg, a tablespoon of dry thyme and about a handful of chopped parsley). Stir and simmer for about 5minutes, until sauce is reduced and you achieve a nice, rich thickness to it.

Serve with a nice sprinkle of fresh or dry parsley and a refreshing lemonade.

Enjoy, S X