Description
An easy weeknight pasta recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. spaghetti
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups cooked chicken (dice up a rotisserie chicken or grab our slow cooker shredded chicken!)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti in very salty water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add chicken pieces to skillet and cook until chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and diced mozzarella to skillet and toss with kitchen tongs to combine.
- Drizzle in just enough of the remaining olive oil to lightly coat the pasta - you may not need it all.
- Add a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to the pasta and toss to combine.
- Divide pasta between plates and top with diced tomatoes and fresh basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
You could also top this pasta with some freshly grated parmesan cheese or a drizzle of balsamic reduction to mix it up a bit.
Don't be afraid of seasoning - be sure to add salt and pepper to the finished dish to help bring everything together!
Leave out the chicken to make this a vegetarian dish.
Use high-quality olive oil for this recipe - it makes all the difference!
We like to keep a bunch of grilled chicken in our fridge to use in recipes like this throughout the week. If you don't have pre-cooked chicken on hand, just dice up two raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts and sauté the pieces in a bit of olive oil until cooked through (do this between recipe steps 2 and 3), then proceed as directed by the recipe.