Bruschetta Chicken Pasta – Delizioso!

One of my favorite food groups is anything garlic. Add cheese, and I am in heaven!! This Bruschetta pasta is relatively simple to make, and incorporates some of my favorite foods, while really upping the “wow” factor. This recipe is for 2, but you can easily double (or triple) the recipe as needed; the key is making sure that you are packing a punch with the large amount of seasoning in this meal. Throw this dish together tonight to really impress your taste buds, and your friends, and family!

 

 

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

1/2 pound sliced or diced chicken breast
8 tomatoes, diced
8oz pasta
3 Tbl Balsamic vinegar (+ garnish)
Fresh basil and Parmesan cheese for garnish, if desired

chicken seasoning
1/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp basil
dash cayenne pepper

bruschetta seasoning
1 Tbl onion powder
1 Tbl garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbl basil
2 Tbl oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sugar
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Mix all dry bruschetta ingredients together, and then add the oil. The mix should be sufficiently moistened; no dry spices. Set aside 1/2 of the bruschetta seasoning in a seperate bowl for the pasta later. Add all of your tomatoes to the half seasoning, and mix. Spray a non-stick cooking spray on a baking sheet, and lay out your tomatoes in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes.

1. Put a pot of water on to boil, cook pasta according to box directions, until al dente. Strain when finished, and set aside.
2. Mix all of your chicken seasoning ingredients together. The important thing to remember about coating chicken is that if your seasoning does not taste like anything when you mix it, it will not taste like anything on the chicken. Add additional salt or cayenne if it tastes bland! Add your chicken piece by piece to the flour mixture, and coat all sides of the chicken. I like to place the floured chicken on one side of the bowl while I finish the rest of the chicken, so that I don’t have to rush getting it into the pan. Once all floured, spray a large pan with cooking spray, and add a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and heat for about a minute (your first piece of chicken should sizzle when it hits the pan; if not, wait a few more seconds). Add all of the chicken to the pan, piece by piece, shaking off any excess flour before adding it to the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes, and flip each piece. Re-drizzle with olive oil if the skillet is dry. Cook another 3-4 minutes, or until done. Place chicken aside.
3. Once tomatoes are done, add them to the chicken skillet (with the stove off). Add in remaining bruschetta seasoning, and the Balsamic vinegar (I like to double the amount of vinegar, but I may be addicted to it!), mix well with a rubber spatula. Add pasta into tomato mixture, and stir together.
4. Plate your pasta, and then add the chicken on top. Garnish with fresh basil, Parmesan, and (more!) Balsamic vinegar, if desired. Enjoy!!