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I was about to cook some Batangas Longganisa earlier when I chanced upon some ingredients in our pantry which I can "innovate" for a healthier pasta meal. Witt skipped dinner so it was just me this evening. I haven't been cooking lately so it's a good time to go back and get my groove back.

We've been married for two weeks now and living a very domesticated life. There are adjustments here and there but the biggest discovery I had is my hubby's hearty appetite. He has a very strict rule of eating 3x a day (on time and on the dot at that) whereas I only eat when I am hungry. This was initially a problem because I am not exactly Martha Stewart. I cook from time to time but I am not really the Filipina 'housewife cooking type'. 

BUT I'm a very competitive person and I always aim to please thus I was able to cook a total of 4 lunch/dinner dishes (Sinigang, Afritada, Fried Chicken, Sopas), successfully marinated some chicken thighs and drumsticks, perfected an over easy egg, and mastered breakfast cooking in my 14 days as a married woman. Mean feat for someone who used to be clueless on the amount of cooking oil when stir-frying. 

Last night, New Year's Eve, I decided to try one of my favorite dishes: Chicken Sopas. I got the recipe from Manila Spoon but I modified it a bit according to our preference, brands of the ingredients, and serving size. The hubby approved this but he wants it more 'salty'. You guys can also adjust the salt level through fish sauce or salt. Sharing the recipe below.

CHICKEN SOPAS

Ingredients
1 boneless chicken breasts, cooked then shredded
200 grams Del Monte Elbow Macaroni
3 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Knorr Chicken Broth Cubes
1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium carrots, cubes
3 celery stalks, sliced diagonally
8-10 cups chicken broth (I used the water where I boiled the chicken)
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste
Fish Sauce, 2-3 tablespoon or to taste (you can opt with 1 tablespoon depending on your preference)
1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk

Steps in Cooking

1. Boil the chicken breasts until tender and cooked. Shred it with a fork or just with your hands after it cooled down.

2. Set aside the water where you boiled your chicken breast. You will use this after for the broth.

3. Cook the Del Monte Elbow Macaroni al dente. I used an induction stove and boiled and timed it for 14 mins. Set aside after cooking. Prepare the vegetables while boiling the macaroni.

4. In a large pan, heat the oil. Saute the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots until the onions become translucent and the vegetables are tender for about 5 minutes. Add a little salt and pepper.

5. Add the shredded chicken. Add the boiled chicken water, add the Knorr Chicken Broth cubes, season with some fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Add fish sauce or salt to taste or depending on your preference. Bring to a boil.

6. Add the cooked Del Monte Elbow Macaroni and Carnation Evaporated Milk and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Serves 9 - 10
Cost: Php 250.00 (most of the ingredients are in the pantry so this could be lower)

Hope this helps! Enjoy!