Thai Chicken Pasta

I typically don't think enough of myself to post recipes.  Probably because they are never my own creations and usually consist of the basics that everyone knows anyway.  However, I recently found a recipe that I'm proud to say I've tweeked a little and must share because it is a good change to the mundane traditional.  One of my FAVORITE dishes is the Thai Chicken Pasta from The Cheesecake Factory and this comes pretty close to it.  Dinners around our house are hectic {to say the least} so I cannot show you a beautifully posed picture but it is delicious I promise!  Here goes...

12 ounces of linguine

4 TBS sesame oil (divided)

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

2 cups carrots, finely shredded {As a time saver you can buy the matchstick carrots, but they're better if you shred them yourself)

2 cups frozen stir fry veggies

3 TBS minced garlic

1/2 TBS ground ginger

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 TBS rice vinegar

1 TBS chili starter sauce {This can be adjusted depending on how spicy you like it}

bean sprouts {Don't turn your nose up; the dish is really not as good without them}

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

2.  Heat 2 TBS sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over med-high heat.

3.  Add chicken and cook until the outside is white.

4.  Add green onions, carrots, stir-fry veggies, garlic, and ginger.

5.  Saute until veggies are soft.

6.  In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili sauce.  Mix well.

7.  Add sauce to wok/skillet and simmer about 2 minutes.

8.  Drain pasta and return to pot.

9.  Toss pasta with 2 TBS sesame oil.

10.  Add pasta to wok/skillet.

11.  Sprinkle bean sprouts on top {I promise this MAKES the dish!}

Now, as you can probably tell this recipe makes a ton.  When I made this last night I froze the remaining portion and I'll let you know if it is good after being frozen.   I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we do!

And for those of you who are really only interested in seeing pictures of Miller, I'll let you join in my nostalgia as I came across this pic recently...