I was (and still am) so in love with this pasta dish after experimenting with a garlic and evaporated milk sauce that I had to cook it three days in a row, lol. But the husband and I didn’t get sickly of it!
Though I might have called this pasta dish ‘creamy’, it wasn’t really an excessively rich kind of creaminess. Rather, it was light, fragrant, milky and smooth. All thanks to the hero of the dish – evaporated milk. It’s my BFF at the moment and a must-have in my pantry cupboard. Oh yes, the best thing about this dish? It’s lower in fat and calories because no cream is used. 😉
When cooking with evaporated milk (esp. low fat ones), it’s best to use a new can that has been stored in the pantry at room temperature. If you’re using leftover milk that has been chilled in the fridge, I would suggest that you leave the milk out on your kitchen counter for at least half an hour beforehand because if you add cold evaporated milk right into your hot pan and try to heat it up too quickly, the sauce might just curdle and it wouldn’t look nice.
Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
6 small chicken drumsticks
200g button mushrooms, sliced
1 bulb garlic, peeled & crushed
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
250ml low fat evaporated milk
2 tbsp water
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a pan, melt butter in olive oil. Add garlic and saute till slightly golden brown and fragrant.
3. Add chicken and fry till lightly golden brown.
4. Add mushrooms and stir fry briefly.
5. Pour in the evaporated milk and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes till chicken is cooked through and tender.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over pasta or with crusty bread.