Mmmmm, delicious

Oh, my goodness - thank you, Trader Joe!

I had a bag of Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta sitting on a pantry shelf (it's a small, narrow closet next to the fridge, but it helps to think of the over-stuffed space as a 'pantry'), two cans of chunk-style chicken (from a large warehouse store), and a tasty craving on the tip of my tongue.

Scrounged up three small-ish white onions which I cut onion ring-style, and had a small jar of artichoke hearts at the ready.  Karl put the nix on the artichoke hearts, but did agree to broccoli. (Truth be told, I would have preferred asparagus over everything else, but it turned out alright just the way it was, and Karl got another veggie today.)

I started the water to boil (for the pasta) and set to work on everything else.

Sauteed the onion in butter (just about a Tblsp) and a small amount of basil infused olive oil.  I took advantage of the (Greek) lemon flavored sea salt in my spice cupboard and dashed it over the onions to sweat them out a bit (when you salt the onions to sweat them, you need less butter to saute in).  Once the onions were nearly translucent I added roughly a Tblsp (and one half) of minced garlic and stirred it in. 

As soon as the garlic became aromatic with the heat, I tossed in the chicken.  I opted for the canned version instead of cooking larger, hand-cut breast meat simply to avoid the extra clean-up from beginning to end...and to keep from adding more heat to the house - today was warm enough!

Once the chicken was completely incorporated into the onion mixture it was time to pour in a can of evaporated milk (the can is the larger 12 or 14oz size).  You can use an additional smaller can if you prefer a saucier dish.

Add turmeric and curry in healthy amounts (I love both flavors) - I sprinkle and eyeball the amounts, but if I had to say I would think I used roughly 1/2 a Tsp each (maybe slightly less of the Turmeric).  You should season yours to taste.  Grind a fair amount of fresh cracked pepper over it as well.  I also added a pinch of Lemon Rind to the sauce early on - but I love lemon flavor and smell...and it's a natural match with chicken.

If the sauce mixture does not seem "liquid" enough, go ahead and add a ladle of the pasta water to the pan and stir it in well.  Add the vegetable(s) you have settled on at this point, too.

Now, simmer it all on low until the pasta finishes cooking.  Drain and add the pasta to the pan to coat it well and serve.  I hope you have a rather large fry pan!

Usually, I would have grated and added Asiago cheese to the sauce, but the lemony overtone of the pasta and sea salt coupled with the sweetness of the Turmeric and the headiness of the curry was enough flavor for one dish.

Enjoy!