​​​​            Spicy Chicken Helper​

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                            ****Enough olive oil to coat the pan but not too much****

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, or more to taste

1 pound of chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 small yellow squash, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 - 2 jalapeño, sliced with seeds if you like heat

1/2 onion, diced

About a 1/4 cup of Pineapple Sangria (Carlos Rosa is recommended) mixed into the chicken, stirring well

2 cups cooked pasta of choice

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (turn the heat off or to warm, add shredded cheese and put lid on)

Salt to taste

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium high.

Add paprika, black pepper, crushed red pepper.

Let it bloom 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add chicken. Stir to coat in the spiced oil.

Cook until no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes.

Let the chicken juices build up in the pan ( option to pour the majority of the juice into a cup, hold onto it and pour over cheesy noodles after done cooking)

Toss in squash, green pepper, jalapeño, and onion. Sauté 3-4 minutes until just tender.

Pour in a splash of pineapple sangria to deglaze. Stir, scraping up the browned bits.

Let it reduce 1 minute.

Add cooked pasta. Mix everything so the pan sauce coats the noodles.

Turn off heat. Sprinkle cheese over top and stir until melted and creamy. Taste for salt.

  Fresh jalapeño gives the upfront bite, crushed red gives the lingering burn. The sangria adds tang and a little sweet to balance the heat. Don’t skip blooming the spices in oil, that’s where the flavor starts.