Think With Your Taste Buds Chicken Pasta

This dish idea came to me while trying to cook everything in my kitchen that wasn't gluten free.  I had 1/2 box of the bow tie pasta in my pantry that I thought I would put together with some leftover chicken that I had cooked the night before.  But what do I add to it to make it a little different yet special?  I decided to 'clean out my refrigerator' in search of ingredients that would work.  Here is what I combined.

Bow Tie pasta, cooked of course
Chicken, cut into chunks
Sliced Black Olives
Chopped Green Onion
Chopped Dill Pickle
Pimientos
Chopped Celery
Almond Slivers
Sliced Green Olives
Cucumber Ranch Dressing
Mayonnaise

There are no measurements for this dish.  Just add all the ingredients together and taste.  The Cucumber Ranch Dressing was a perfect touch but don't add too much due to its flavor.  And the addition of the mayonnaise was just enough to help everything mix together.  This is one dish that I made using my motto "Think With Your Taste Buds."

No I didn't eat this dish.  I did taste just a 'little' as I was making for taste blends but my lucky food testers all raved about how good this was.  They all agreed that you could taste each of the ingredients as well as a blend of the ingredients taste.

Smothered Chicken with Spinach and Mushrooms

3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
3 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped pecans
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp. rotisserie chicken seasoning
2 slices reduced-fat provolone cheese, halved

In a large skillet, saute the spinach, mushrooms, onions and pecans in oil until mushrooms are tender. Set aside and keep warm.  Sprinkle chicken with seasoning. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.  Top with cheese. Cover and grill 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. To serve, top each chicken breast with reserved spinach mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

Martha:  I did make a few technique changes to this that I feel didn't change the flavor.  The main thing was that I didn't grill my chicken, I baked it in a 400 degree oven on a rack until done.  I also rubbed it with a little olive oil and added a chicken rub to all sides.  The spinach calls for 3 cups of fresh.  That is what I bought but I think I would have liked just a little more.  My spinach, mushrooms, onions and pecans were sauted in a large frying pan with lid.  I topped this with my chicken and instead of adding 1/2 slice of provolone I added 1 slice to each piece, placed the lid on the pan and let the cheese melt allowing it to run down into the veggies.  This dish is worth making and it actually requires very little work giving you a gourmet looking dish.  Where did I find this recipe?  On Pinterest via Taste of Home.  Give this one a try.  You won't regret it.