Altered Sun-Dried Tomato and Chicken Pasta

I love this dish. It’s super easy and relatively quick to make. Better still, you can serve it hot or make it ahead for a pasta-salad side. As with other altered dishes, ingredient amounts are approximate.

Ingredients

• 1lb pasta, preferably rotini
• 2 cups cooked chicken cut into bite sized pieces (I used Tyson Grilled & Ready Frozen Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Strips to save time)
• 6 or 7 oz sundried tomatoes, preferably packed in oil
• 1-2 T minced garlic
• 3T balsamic vinegar or to taste
• 1/2-3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese or crumbled feta
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta for the minimum time listed on the package. Drain and coat lightly with olive oil.
2. Sautee the garlic and sundried tomatoes in the olive oil. Include some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes if possible. *If the chicken is frozen, add it now.
3. Once the tomatoes and garlic are hot (3-5 minutes, typically), add the chicken and pasta and continue to cook on low-medium heat.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar. Note: Balsamic vinegar has a strong taste. Add sparingly until you know you like it – you’ll basically want to turn the pasta and chicken a light brown.
5. If you’re serving the pasta hot, add the cheese and mix well. For a cold pasta salad, add the cheese just before serving or present it on the side.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you use a pre-packaged chicken like the Tyson Grilled & Ready, you’ll need less salt.

The Result

The balsamic vinegar and sundried tomatoes are both strong flavors that truly complement each other. The result is a dish which is hearty and as full of flavor as you want it to be!

Other options

• Drop the chicken for a nice vegetarian dish
• Set aside some of the pasta and chicken  to mix with cheese for those who don’t like the vinegar
• Add pine nuts
• Add capers
• Add olives
• Use leftover pasta or chicken, adjusting the amounts of other ingredients accordingly

Kid-Friendly Rating

This one gets 4 stars since the tomatoes are easy to work around and the vinegar goes in at the end. The flavors can be strong, but the simple combo of chicken and pasta is a well-known kid favorite.

Disclosure: I have received compensation from Collective Bias and Tyson for trying out Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken. Lucky for me, it was a perfect match for this recipe, which I love!

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