Cheesy Chicken Bruschetta Pasta
Cheesy, bruschetta and pasta are synonymous for crowd-favourite. Try it, and see for yourself!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes
- 1 handful of fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
- 2 tbsp of thyme leaves
- 3/4 cup of flour
- 4 tbsp. of olive oil
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 2 truLOCAL organic chicken breasts
- Black pepper (for taste)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- optional: 3/4 cup of marinara sauce
Instructions
1. In a medium-sized bowl, rub chicken breasts with olive oil, thyme leaves, vinegar, black pepper and sea salt. Transfer them to a plate covered in flour and turn them a few times until they are coated evenly.
2. In a skillet over medium-high, cook chicken breasts on both side for 5-7 minutes (depending on their thickness, but do remember that they will go in the oven for an additional 10 minutes later).
3. In a separate skillet over medium heat, toss cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil leaves with olive oil and salt-pepper. You need less than 5 minutes for the tomatoes to soften and the basil-garlic combo to come alive. Set aside.
4. Optional: in a separate skillet, I also added whole cherry tomatoes with a a few drops of olive oil and salt. I let them sit for 2-3 minutes and tossed around until they looked like they were about to burst. I then removed them from the heat. It simply adds texture to your bowl, so if you have the extra few minutes: go right ahead!
5. In a lightly oiled baking dish, add chicken breasts topped with the bruschetta mix (optional: cover with marinade before adding the cheese, I was simply out and it came out great, not dry at all!). Add 2 layers of mozzarella strips (or a generous handful of shredded mozzarella).
6. Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese has melted to your desired texture and the the chicken has cooked through (again, depending on the thickness of the chicken).
7. While the cheese melts, cook and drain your pasta. Put back into the empty pot you used to cook it.
8. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to the pasta and mix thoroughly. Once the chicken is ready, scoop the bruschetta mixture from the baking pan and toss into the pasta.
9. Serve each portion with a chicken breast on top as well as extra basil leaves and the grilled cherry tomatoes. Optional: sprinkle Parmesan (I personally prefer to stick to mozzarella as that fresh tomatoes and basil combination is the true star).