Chicken and Kale Saute With Pasta

I turned a kale side dish into a main dish. You may get your family to eat kale after all. It looks pretty, too. You can add vegetables you have on hand, or what your family likes, and add as much heat as you like, too. I splashed it several times with a red wine, which made a fabulous aroma.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4-5
• Yields: 8 cups

Ingredients

• 3 -4  boneless chicken breasts, cut into large cubes
• 2  tablespoons  chicken rub mixed spice (I used McCormick, but you can experiment)
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
•  splash red wine, if preferred
• 12  ounces kale leaves, coarsely chopped, stems removed (a large bag, like a gallon-size, I also added some chard from my garden)
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 2 -4  garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 4  carrots, sliced or julienned
• 1  stalk celery, sliced
• 1⁄4 cup green onion, green pepper, onion, jalapeno (depending on family preference, diced)
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2  teaspoons  italian seasoning mix
• 2  tablespoons red wine, if desired
• 10  ounces whole wheat pasta shells (about 1/2 box) or 10  ounces rotini pasta (about 1/2 box)
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Place chicken cubes in a bowl or a plastic bag. Add chicken rub seasoning mix and shake or stir so that seasoning lightly coats pieces of chicken. (I cut the chicken while still pretty frozen, and the large cubes stayed nice and square for this step.)
2. Heat oil in large skillet, then brown ckicken cubes, turning occasionally until lightly browned on the outside and the pink is gone on the inside. Splash cubes with a bit of wine.
3. Remove chicken pieces to a plate or serving dish.
4. Boil water in large saucepan and cook pasta according to directions, Whole wheat pasta usually take 14-20 mins, so start this before you cook the vegetables.
5. Heat next 2 Tbsp of oil in skillet at medium-high setting.
6. Add garlic, kale, carrots and celery. Stir often, cooking for about 5-6 minutes. Check the carrots and the kale to make sure they are tender.
7. Add whatever peppers and onions you desire.
8. Add entire can of tomatoes and juice from the can, and another splash of red wine to the vegetables. Season to taste.
9. Add cooked chicken to the skillet.
10. Turn down heat to low, and put on the skillet lid and let vegetables continue to cook and flavors blend while pasta is finishing .
11. After 10 minutes, all the vegetables should be tender. Check seasoning. If the mixture is too "wet", take the lid off and heat on medium for a minute or two to reduce the liquid.
12. You can serve the chicken mixture on top of the pasta with the parmesan cheese, or you can drain the pasta, stir it into the chicken mixture, add the parmesan cheese and serve it in one platter.
13. Add a warm loaf of crusty bread, and the rest of the red wine, and you have yourself a real heart-healthy supper! Mangi bene!