Cooking up cozy homemade recipes for every occasion, straight from the heart of our home (our kitchen!)

Tag: easy dinner

Easy Chicken & Vegetable Parmesan Pasta

Easy Chicken & Vegetable Parmesan Pasta

Easy Chicken and Vegetable Parmesan Pasta

January 1, 2018
: 4
: 10 min
: 20 min
: 30 min

The hubby's famous no-fuss chicken pasta! Great for an easy weeknight dinner or a romantic meal for two.

By:

Ingredients
  • 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1 vidalia onion, chopped finely
  • 1 tomato, chopped finely
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 10-12 cremini mushrooms, chopped finely
  • 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
  • 4 TBSP olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lb penne pasta (ideally, gluten free)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
  • Step 1 Prep for the dish by chopping up the chicken breast into cubes or desired slices. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste and marinate in the balsamic vinegar and 2 TBSP of the olive oil for about 10 minutes.
  • Step 2 Now carefully chop all of your vegetables. We recommend onion, tomato, garlic, mushrooms, but you can honestly use whatever vegetables you prefer (or whatever you dig up in the fridge!).
  • Step 3 Heat the remaining 2 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and then begin sautéing the vegetables for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. In a separate saucepan, begin to boil water for the pasta.
  • Step 4 Add the chicken to the vegetables and continue sautéing for another 10 minutes, until cooked through. Cook the pasta, according to package directions while the chicken is cooking.
  • Step 5 Strain the pasta and then add to the vegetables and chicken in the skillet and mix together. Top with a healthy dollop of parmesan cheese and mix until fully incorporated.
  • Step 6 Remove from heat and serve in pasta bowls, garnishing with additional parmesan cheese.

After a week of holiday travels and celebrations (and LOTS of eating out!) it’s so nice to be home in our kitchen and back to cooking some homecooked meals. In particular, we love this easy no-fuss pasta dish – it’s the perfect thing to whip up for a weeknight dinner and is sure to be a hit with the family. Marc used to make it when he was eating on a budget, traveling overseas, and trying to make something easy and healthy. You can always get these ingredients, it is easy and consistently comes out delicious. I love when Marc volunteers to make this for us; it’s such a treat to have him cook a meal for me, start to finish. It’s like a night out at a restaurant, but in our very own kitchen!

The great thing about this recipe is you can use whatever you have in the fridge. We used onion, tomato, garlic, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese. We bought some fresh chicken breast at the store and quickly marinated it in a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil – then you’re good to go!  Grab a glass of wine while you cook – this one is easy so you don’t have to worry!

 

Start out by sautéing the vegetables in olive oil.

 

Add the chicken to the vegetables and cook until the chicken is cooked through. The flavors of the vegetables pervade the chicken and make for a tasty, moist chicken dish.

 

Cook the pasta. We used some penne that was gluten free, so it’s easy for anyone to eat. Strain the pasta and add to the vegetables and mix together. Hey, there’s that wine again!

 

Add a healthy dollop of parmesan (can never have too much in our opinion). And there you have it. A great date night dish for the cooking novice, or a quick and easy dish the family will love!