This bruschetta chicken pasta is a super easy weeknight dinner packed full of chicken, cherry tomatoes, and fresh flavor. You can serve this dish hot or as a cold bruschetta pasta salad.
Equipment
Larger pot or dutch oven
Tongs
Colander
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For The Pasta
1poundSpaghettiChoose a thinner spaghetti-style noodle for this dish
Salt
For The Chicken
1poundChicken breast About 2 individual breasts
½teaspoonSalt
1/4teaspoonPepper
1teaspoonOreganodried
1teaspoonBasildried
1/2teaspoonGarlic powderor granulated garlic
2tablespoonsOlive oil
For The Tomatoes
1 ½pintsCherry tomatoes sliced in half
¼cupOlive oil
2tablespoonsBalsamic vinegar
½teaspoonGarlic powderor granulated garlic
½teaspoonSalt
Pepper
Instructions
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the package directions until al dente. (Usually about 8-9 minutes.) Remove 1/4 cup of pasta water from the pot and place to the side for the sauce. Strain and set aside the pasta in a collander.
Slice the chicken breast longways so that you have two wide thin chicken cutlets from each chicken breast.
Mix together the salt, pepper, oregano, basil and garlic powder and season one side of the chicken breasts with half of the mixture.. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet or dutch oven to heat.
Add the chicken pieces herb side down. season the other side of the chicken with half of the herb mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes then flip. Cook the chicken pieces until golden brown on each side and no longer pink in the middle, about 9-10 minutes total.
Turn the heat down to medium low. Add ¼ cup of olive oil to the pan and all of the sliced cherry tomatoes. Next add the vinegar, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Cook over medium low heat for about a minute.
Add the pasta and 1/4 cup of pasta water to the tomatoes and mix well until combined.
Slice the chicken in thin strips, and add on top of the pasta. Top generously with parmesan cheese. Fresh chopped basil or parsley is also delicious on top. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe is delicious hot but is also equally delicious cold as a pasta salad.
I've tried slicing the chicken into thin strips before cooking the chicken with this dish. What can end up happening is the chicken dries out. This dish does not have a super heavy sauce so dry chicken will be really noticeable. Cooking the chicken in thin cutlets leaves the chicken much juicier and tastier!
When available, use fresh herbs in this pasta. If you are replacing the basil or oregano a teaspoon of dried herb equals about a tablespoon of fresh. For the garlic, a teaspoon of dried garlic is equal to about a clove of fresh garlic. A little extra basil or oregano in this recipe is just fine.
The number of tomatoes in this recipe can be variable depending on what you have available. I’ve used as little as a pint and as much as 2 pints and the dish is still delicious. A pint is about 25-30 cherry tomatoes or about 2 cups chopped tomatoes.