Monday, December 12, 2011

In the Kitch: Skinny Chicken & Tomato Pasta

Today's recipe I'm sharing with you lovely readers is a pasta dish I made last week.  I found this recipe on Pinterest because I fell in love with the photo.  It looked so delicious and SIMPLE.  Let me tell you, it was all that I'd hoped it would be.  My husband and I, in a word....SMASHED it.  I'd made enough to have leftovers for dinner the next day, and I think we may have scraped some non-stick coating off of the pan that next day even.  lol  Anyway, I watch a lot of cooking shows and travel/food shows, and one thing I've learned when watching them make Italian dishes or at Italian restaurants IN Italy, is that some of the pasta dishes that are popular don't involve any "sauce".  I think we Americans automatically assume that all pasta dishes require a sauce.  Not so!  In Italy, they make yummy pasta dishes with just pasta, fresh ingredients and just a really good extra-virgin olive oil.  You'll be surprised at how something so simple can be so flavorful.  So here you go for this newfound staple in my dinner line- up.  Oh, it's pretty healthy too.  Thanks Skinny Taste for the great recipe!





Ingredients:

    * 2 skinless chicken breast halves, diced in 1 inch cubes
    * cooking spray
    * 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and dries basil
    * kosher salt and fresh pepper
    * 8 oz spaghetti (high fiber or low carb) I used Ronzoni Smart Taste
    * 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
    * 6 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
    * 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
    * 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, spray with oil and add chicken. Cook about 3-4 minutes, until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

While pasta cooks, add olive oil to skillet on high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown (do not burn). Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté about 4-5 minutes. When pasta is drained, add pasta to tomatoes and toss well. If pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Add fresh basil and chicken and toss well. Serve and top with good grated cheese.

Tips & Mods
- I was out of dried oregano, and basil for that matter, but I DID have Italian seasoning (which has both of those as ingredients, along with some other herbs).  So, I just seasoned the chicken with the Italian seasoning and salt.

- As you can see from the pics, I also added one chopped zucchini to the dish.  I just thought it would add some color and another healthy veg couldn't hurt.

-I again used whole grain pasta

- Make sure to use a GOOD grated parmesian or romano cheese.  NOT the powder kind ppl put on pizza, etc. haha

Enjoy!


11 comments:

  1. that looks so good. i make something similar without meat and with white wine. i'll try it with basil and grape tomatoes next time.

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  2. My family loves Pasta.. I am going home to make this tonight.. It just looks and sounds too easy. I have all the ingredients and just called home to tell my daughter to put the frozen chricken breast in cold water to thaw. HA! I'm on it.. Thanks for the recipe

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  3. oh yum! i'm drooling ... that looks so good! bookmarking it!

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  4. That looks really tasty, easy and healthy! I love recipes that you can just whip up without having to search high and low for the ingredients.

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  5. yum! i'm totally trying this meal, any wine or additional side suggestions?

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  6. im making something similar to this tonight :) Mine is skinny, but it's still a cream sauce. you are right about italy though, my fav pastas didn't have sauce

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  7. yum yum looks so delicious and easy...thanks for sharing!

    mongs
    mythriftycloset.blogspot.com

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  8. I prepared this tonight, and I am proud to report that it was a hit!!!!

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  9. Just made this today, YUM! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. I made this last night and put it on the table. The hubby and dear son ( age 7) looked at me curiously, then asked, "Did you forget something?" I told them that many popular Italian dishes have no sauce..etc. I coaxed the son to taste it as is. Told him if he still wanted sauce I would add it to his plate. He ended up eating it without the sauce. The hubby, however, decided to bust out the jar of Bertolli for himself. LOL What can I say? He has to have his sauce.
    I loved the recipe as you posted it and had three generous helpings.--Ree :)

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  11. ^^Too funny!


    I'm so glad you all have enjoyed this dish as much as I have!!

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I read and appreciate all comments & questions!

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