Monday, October 28, 2013

Chicken Caprese Pasta

Hello Fellow Foodies! While I was recently visiting my in-laws in Kentucky, my mother-in-law, who loves pasta, asked me to make her a dish with pasta and chicken in it. That's about all the guidance I had so I decided to do a twist on a dish that I usually do with the pasta on the side.  Let's just say the "twist" was so good there were no leftovers! This is a guaranteed go to meal!   

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook






Ingredients:
2-3 boneless chicken breasts (I prefer the thinner kind)
1 box thin spaghetti
1 cup tomato basil pasta sauce (I prefer Barilla)
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dried oregano, each separated
2 large firm tomatoes, diced
6-8 small balls of fresh mozzarella, pulled apart
7 fresh basil leaves, minced
Romano cheese, grated (optional)

Directions:
Sprinkle chicken breasts with a generous amount of salt and black pepper on both sides (in the end should be mostly salt with a light sprinkling of black pepper). Bake at 350 degrees on a non stick baking sheet for 30 minutes. Turn chicken breasts over half way through cooking time. Do not let chicken dry out. Remove chicken. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken in cubes and set aside.
Cook pasta to al dente.
While pasta is boiling in a separate sauce pan heat olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, add garlic, tomato and some salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes begin to soften. Add basil. When the mixture becomes juicy (about 8 minutes) add oregano, heavy cream, pasta sauce and chicken. Sauce should boil quickly. Lower heat and add drained pasta.
Toss pasta in sauce mixture adding remaining oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Once pasta is to your desired taste add mozzarella and stir until cheese is melted through the pasta. Serve while hot and top with grated Romano cheese if desired.

NOTE: YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE PASTA SAUCE IF YOU WANT IT TO BE LESS DRY AND MORE SAUCY. YOU CAN ALSO ADD GARLIC POWDER TO YOUR PASTA WHEN YOU ARE SEASONING IT IN THE END IF YOU WOULD LIKE IT MORE GARLICKY.

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