What’s for dinner?
For most of us, the “what’s for dinner dilemma” is an ongoing battle. The scenario is pretty similar. You’re swamped at work and wondering what you can whip together quickly for dinner. A little planning will help you create healthy, nutritious, meals in minutes for you and your family.
This Mediterranean Pasta and Chicken requires few ingredients and definitely packs a flavorful POW for your palate. Simple ingredients done well are key to this satisfying meal.
When trying a new recipe it’s important to read through the entire recipe. Gather all ingredients and take the time to prep everything according to directions. Also, identify what tasks can be done simultaneously. This makes the cook time go smoothly and you’ll be sitting down before you know it.
The first step in any pasta recipe is to put water into a big pot and salt the water. You want the water to be salty, like taking a sip of ocean water, so the pasta will absorb the water and salt and taste like something. Taste the water so you know if there is enough salt in it. Tasting as you cook leads to great results. You’ll know if you need to make minute adjustments that will make all the difference in your finished dish.
With your pasta water on the boil, line up your ingredients in the order you’ll put them in the frying pan. Heat your pan over medium-high heat; add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Keep an eye on the garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden in color. (Don’t brown the garlic, because it will impart a bitter flavor and can ruin the end result.) Once you’ve achieved a light golden color, add the chicken and spread out over surface of the pan. Let chicken cook through, adding wine to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes, oregano and spinach and cook until the spinach wilts a bit. Drain pasta saving about 1 cup of cooking liquid. (You may need to thin the sauce with the pasta water.) Toss pasta into sauté pan and coat the noodles with chicken/tomato mixture. Add in the lemon juice, toss again and serve. Garnish the dish with parsley and cheese. Enjoy your family and the fresh flavors of your Mediterranean chicken and pasta!
See the video of me teaching Fiona from SA Live how to make this dish.
http://www.ksat.com/sa-live/healthy-dinners
Mediterranean Chicken & Pasta
Servings 6 Prep time: 20 MIN Cooking time: 20 MIN
Recipe Source: The Traveled Chef, LLC
www.thetraveledchef.com
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 lbs chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes or 1-15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 10 oz fresh spinach or green leaf vegetable (kale, swiss chard, collard greens)
- 3/4 lb rigatoni or pasta of your choice
- 4 Tbs parsley – rough chop
- 1 sprig fresh oregano –
- 1 lemon – juice
- 1 cup pasta water reserved
- 1/2 cup parmesan or romano cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
- Put water on to boil for pasta, add salt to season water. Cook pasta and reserve 1 cup of water
- Heat oil in saute pan on medium high heat, add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute until fragrant – do not brown garlic
- Add chicken and cook through
- Deglaze pan with wine and cook for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add pasta and toss to coat. If needed, use the reserved cup of pasta water to thin sauce
- Serve in bowls and garnish with parsley and cheese.
