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Chicken Parm Pasta Toss

Serves 4

An Italian favorite gets tossed together!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 2 pints grape tomatoes
  • 2 cups basil, chopped
  • 3 cups arugula or baby arugula, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions

  1. Fill a large pasta pot with water and place it over high heat. Once the water comes up to a boil, salt it and drop in the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve a mugful of starchy cooking water, then drain and reserve.
  2. While the water is coming up to a boil, place a large skillet over high heat with three turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, then add it to the pre-heated skillet. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.
  3. Once the chicken is golden brown, add the garlic and onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes burst open and begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes (if they haven’t started to burst open by that time, mash them lightly with a potato masher or wooden spoon). Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the drained pasta and reserved starchy cooking water (about 1 cup) to the skillet with the chicken and tomatoes, and toss over the heat until combined, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil, arugula and cheese. Serve.