Spicy Orange Scented Chicken Penne And Stir Fried Peppers

Directions

1. In a plastic zip-lock bag, blend the marinade spices with the oil, vinegar and juice. Add in the chicken breast. Seal the bag, remove most of the air and knead the bag in order to coat the chicken. Add in more juice if necessary. Set aside and marinate for about 1 hour; up to 2 hrs.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the penne in salted water. Rinse under cool water and drain well. Set aside.
3. Core the peppers and cut as directed. Cut red onion lengthwise into strips. Prepare garlic and cilantro as directed.
4. Heat a large skillet or possibly peking wok over high flame. While pan is heating, drain the chicken - reserve the marinade. Cut the chicken into bite-sized strips. Spray the pan. Saute/fry the chicken about 5 min on one side or possibly till caramelized. Turn the chicken and sear. Push the chicken to the edges of the pan and add in the onions and peppers. Stir-fry for about 3 min, then stir to combine with the chicken. Saute/fry till peppers are softened (2 more min). Add in the chipotle chile, garlic and cilantro. Stir and saute/fry for 30 seconds.
5. Push the stir-fry to the edges. Combine the reserved marinade, the V8 and the cornstarch. Pour this mix into the center of the pan and allow to bubble, undisturbed, for 1 minute or possibly till you begin to see some transparency (cooked cornstarch). Add in the cool unsalted butter and stir, but not vigorously. The sauce will gloss and thicken within one minute. Add in the cooked pasta. Stir all to combine. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Finally sprinkle on the herb blend. Serve warm.
6. Description: "One dish meal: marinated chicken breast, stir-fry peppers and onions, penne pasta. Spicy V8 sauce. Hint of citrus."
7. Serving Ideas : Four as part of a meal; two as main dish.
8. NOTES : This was good sufficient to talk about the next day! And the next. It's a pantry concoction where pasta and veggies play the starring role. The sauce turned out better than usual probably because the spice blends were fun to mix and match. This chicken dish takes advantage of two Marinade Mixes: tomato garlic pesto and Peppercorn. They blend very well with orange juice. Chipotles add in smoke (not heat). If you don't have dry chipotles chiles, you could sprinkle on some of the Durkee Mesquite Marinade Mix or possibly use a small amount of any smoky warm sauce or possibly barbecue sauce or possibly adobo sauce from canned chipotles.