Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta

Irma | mycreativekneads
by Irma | mycreativekneads
6 Servings
55 min

I love pasta but try not to eat it too often. This recipe is healthy, fresh, effortless and tastes delicious. I used a gluten free brown rice and quinoa fusilli pasta from Trader Joe’s that tasted great and cooked up nicely. I think a lot of gluten-free pastas tend to not cook and taste the same as real pasta or I should say pasta with gluten in it. This on the other hand tasted like any other pasta and it had a perfect al dente texture. This pasta dish is full of wonderful ingredients such as kalamata olives, basil, onions, tomatoes, fennel and other fragrant seasonings, including cracked red pepper for a little added heat.


I used chicken thighs for the recipe because I’m not a huge chicken breast fan. I think chicken thighs have much more flavor too. When I make this recipe I tend to use whatever veggies I have on hand, this time I used spinach but other times I have used artichokes and asparagus. You can change up the recipe as you like. I think the real important part to this recipe is to have good canned tomatoes. I always use Cento San Marzano tomatoes. In this case, they were whole tomatoes that I broke up into chunks. You can also use different olives if you don’t care for kalamata olives. If you decide to try this recipe, I hope you enjoy it as my family does.


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Alright, let’s get cooking!

Pan frying chicken
Sautéing vegetables
Adding the tomatoes
Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta
Recipe details
  • 6  Servings
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 40 Minutes Total time: 55 min
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Ingredients
For the chicken
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6 boneless chicken thighs
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp dried Italian seasonings
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cracked fennel seeds
  • 6 minced garlic cloves
For the sauce
  • 28 oz can San Marzano Whole tomatoes cut into chunks
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/2 white onion cut into slices
  • 3 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced lengthwise
  • Red chili flakes to taste
  • 1 cup low sodium veggie or chicken broth
For the pasta
  • 1 box pasta of choice (I used fusilli)
  • Cook according to package instructions.
Instructions
For the chicken
Rinse and pat dry chicken.
In a small bowl combine all seasonings.
Rub chicken with minced garlic on both sides.
Season both sides of chicken.
Heat the 2 Tbsp of olive oil and brown chicken on both sides, approximately 20 minutes.
Remove chicken and reserve oil and drippings.
For the sauce
In the reserved oil and chicken drippings, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent.
Add the spinach and sauté until spinach is wilted.
Add the kalamata olives, red chili flakes and mix until combined.
On low to medium heat, add the broth and incorporate into all ingredients.
Add the chicken, pour some of the sauce over the chicken, cover with lid and lower the heat; simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
For the pasta
Bring to boil approximately 8 cups of water.
Cook according to package instructions.
Plating
Plate pasta on serving plates.
Pour chicken and sauce over pasta and garnish with chopped fresh basil and more red pepper flakes.
Tips
  • Garnish with chopped fresh basil.
  • For the tomatoes, take the whole tomatoes and break them up between your hands.
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