Dinner Pasta with Japanese-Style Fried Chicken

The crunchy japanese-style fried chicken is flavored with fresh mushroom and hot red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. A simple pasta dish for any day of the week.

Ingredients :

4-6 pieces ready to cook japanese-style fried chicken/chicken karaage(I used Fiesta)

1/2 lb macaroni pasta

4 cup water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup fresh mushroom(shitake or portabello, sliced into thin pieces)

1 tablespoon/2-4 pieces dried chile, sliced

1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Parmesan cheese to garnish

salt n pepper to taste

Method :

-Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until just tender, about 11 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water, and set aside.
-While the water is heating and the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the karaage  and cook about 3 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the karaage to a plate.
-Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, fresh mushroom, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper, and cook about 1 minutes.
-Add the cooked pasta and the reserved cooking water, add the italian seasoning,dried chile and stir gently to combine. Simmer just until everything is heated through, about 2 minutes.
-Transfer the mixture to 2 serving plates and arrange the karaages on the top. Add the Parmesan and crushed red pepper, Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro.