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Recipe Swap - Colorful: Veggies provide look of confetti

By Michael Hastings

JOURNAL FOOD EDITOR

Published: March 18, 2009

Carolyn Vernon had requested a recipe for chicken confetti.

Though a variety of recipes use the "confetti" name, it most often refers to a dish in which one more ingredients are cut into thin strips.

In the recipe below, the confetti image comes from bits of sun-dried tomatoes, green bell pepper and basil. Red bell pepper could be used, too, as could thin strips of zucchini, yellow squash or snow peas. If using snow peas, add them near the end with the cheese and basil.

Chicken Confetti With Pasta

The recipe below is adapted from www.mealsmatter.org, a Web site of the Dairy Council of California. Note that this calls for the dry packages of sun-dried tomatoes, not those packed in oil.

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, snipped into bits

¼ cup boiling water

6 ounces bow-tie pasta

1 teaspoon canola oil

6 ounces boneless chicken breast cut into 12 to 15 chunks

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ green pepper, cut in thin strips

1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

½ cup basil, cut into strips, plus more for garnish

6 ounces grated low-fat cheddar cheese

1. Cover sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water; set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to directions on package, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain.

3. Meanwhile, place the oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Brown chicken on all sides and cook until done, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

4. In the same skillet, saute garlic and green pepper with 1 tablespoon oil until slightly softened. Add rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, herb seasoning and broth. Heat to boiling.

5. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water. Add slowly to boiling broth mixture, stirring briskly to slightly thicken. Stir in chicken, cheese and basil; heat gently until cheese is melted.

Place drained bow ties into pasta bowl. Top with chicken mixture and stir. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Help

□ Recipe Swap would like a recipe for homemade granola bars.

□ William Schiebel of State Road would like the recipe for blue-cheese or Roquefort dressing famous at the former Town Steak House, and later at the Newmarket Grille, in Winston-Salem.

■ Send requests or recipes to Recipe Swap, c/o Michael Hastings, Food Editor, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102; or e-mail to mhastings@wsjournal.com. Please include name, address and a daytime telephone number. Previously published recipes are available in the Recipe Database at www.journalnow.com/swap.