Pasta with Spinach Sauce and Leftover Roast Chicken

The best thing about making roast chicken is leftovers.  I love spinach, and nowadays baby spinach is available in one of the shops in Male'.  If unavailable I sometimes use a local green known as Boavelli or water spinach (kangkung).  I had this can of Nestle cream sitting in the cupboard, its a bit thick so I used a little milk to thin it down. You can use regular cream.


Recipe Creamy Spinach Sauce : recipe adapted from the book  The Complete Pasta Cookbook by family circle.

200g baby spinach or kangkung (leaves only )
1 tbsp butter
a little olive oil
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 can Nestle cream ( or use regular thick cream)
1 cup (250ml) water
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube.
1 cup of chopped cooked chicken (1-inch cubes of roast chicken)
 a little milk
salt and pepper
Spinach or plain Fettuccine

1.  Bring a pan of water to boil, and season generously with salt. Once it boils add pasta and cook till al dente' remove 1/4 cup of cooking liquid and drain the rest to a colander.

2. Place a large, deep frying pan over medium heat and melt your butter and a little drizzle of olive oil.  Add garlic and saute until they release their aroma and soften. Don't let the garlic burn.

3. Stir in chilli flakes, and water and crumble in the stock cube. Bring to a slow boil and add the spinach. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Remove the lid, the spinach should be wilted and bright green.

4. Remove from heat and cool a little, place in a blender and and blend to a smooth puree.

5. Pour the mixture back into the pan, stir in cream and a little milk to thin down the sauce ( about a few tablespoons). taste and season generously with pepper and salt to taste.  Make sure you taste before adding salt as the stock cubes can be quite salty.

6. Add the cooked fettuccine, along with the cooked/ roast chicken cubes into the spinach sauce, and toss with the help of tongs, adding a little of the cooking liquid to loosen up the sauce a bit. Optional, if you have, throw in some cherry tomatoes to add flavour and a pop of colour. Serve.