I've never sautéed before...

[yaple]

I want to make this recipe for Angel Hair Chicken Pasta (here), but the first step is giving me problems.

"Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (no longer pink). Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels."

First of all, how can one sauté? Then, what's it mean by "drain on paper towels"? Also, later in the recipe, it says to put vegetables into the same skillet that was used for the chicken. I thought you weren't suppposed to put other food where raw meat had been? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Zereh]

"Saute" is simply a fancy word which means to fry lightly in fat in a shallow open pan.

After the chicken is sauted, use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the chicken from the pan (i.e. you only want to remove the meat and none of the juices that are left in the pan). Place the cooked chicken onto the paper towels so that the excess fat is drained off of the cooked meat.

The reason they have you put the vegetables into the same pan with the oil previously used to cook the chicken is because the oils and chicken flavors left there will nicely flavor the next ingrediants.

You don't have to worry about transferring any harmful bacteria to the vegetables because cooking the chicken thoroughly removes those bacteria! The only transferring going on will be flavors. =) So as long as your meat is cooked to the proper doneness you don't have anything to worry about.

Make sure you wash your cutting board and knives thoroughly after cutting meat ~ that's the most likely place where any possible contamination would take place.

Z

 

[tancowgirl2000]

Fry your chicken till done, drain your chicken on paper towel..have your paper towel on the cubboard and put the chicken on it till the veggies are done then add chicken again....as for cooking veggies in the same pan it will be ok because the heat from cooking the chicken has killed off the bad germs per se.....it'll be ok...looks like a nummy recipe though....good luck, I hope I kinda helped.....

 

[tancowgirl2000]

You did better Zereh

 

[Zereh]

bleh! It's a team effort! I just happened to hit enter one minute before you!


Z

 

[tancowgirl2000]

lol....i seen that!