Starving Student Chicken

This recipe is from a Chicken Soup for the Soul recipe calendar that my grandmother had one year. It came with a neat little story about how a young Chinese student would sit in his tiny apartment above a fragrant restaurant and dream about the tongue-dazzling food below as he ate his bowl of plain rice. One day he was describing these fantasies to a friend, and the restaurant owner overheard the enjoyment the young man gained from just smelling the wares sold below his home. He sued the student for not paying for the satisfaction he got from smelling the food the restaurant cooked. The judge told the young student to jingle the coins he had in his pocket together, and told the restaurant owner that hearing the sounds of the coins was just payment for the young man enjoying the smells from the restaurant.

1-1.5 lbs. boned, skinned, defatted chicken
1/2 c. sake or white wine
1 lb spaghetti
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 c. olive oil
8-10 minced garlic cloves
1/2-1 tsp. crushed dried red chili flakes
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 - 3/4 c. minced parsley (optional)

Cut the chicken into 1” pieces and marinate in the white wine, soy sauce and garlic (with some pepper added if you like) for at least one hour. Cook the spaghetti according to the package. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and add the pepper flakes, let heat a bit, then add your chicken, reserving the wine but getting as much of the garlic out as possible. Cook the chicken till it’s done, then add the reserved wine and the drained spaghetti and butter and parsley if you like. Serve with a little parmesan cheese.