This warm pasta, vegetables and roasted garlic chicken meal is truly a hearty and healthy salad treat. It’s so simple to pull together. And it’s absolutely delicious. This dish is a great make ahead recipe – the flavors are even better the longer it rests and it can be eaten cold as well. Make it up to a day in advance. I’ve included the link for the Roasted Garlic Oil as well as an alternate way to make the oil on the stovetop – see the notes section of this recipe.
This recipe can be adapted for vegetarians/vegans. Just skip the chicken and add your choice of tofu (sear it in the garlic oil) or use your favorite cheese.
I hope you will make this simple and yummy dish and enjoy it as much as we do. Happy cooking!
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Roasted Garlic Chicken with Pasta & Asparagus
A yummy and healthy main dish.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast – 5 to 6 half size breasts flattened to about 1/4 inch thickness
- 3 cups farfalle pasta (you can substitute penne pasta)
- 2 pounds asparagus Use the top 2 inches of the tips – cut into 1 inch pieces (reserve stalks for making vegetable broth)
- 3 plum tomatoes chopped/diced into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped (you may substitute cilantro)
- 10 – 12 basil leaves
- 10 – 12 cured olives remove pits if any (you can substitute black olives)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (Adjust for your dietary requirements)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (you can substitute sweet paprika)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 – 3 tablespoons roasted garlic olive oil (recipe link available in notes section)
- 1 -2 tablespoons (Optional) roasted garlic olive oil to season pasta and vegetables
Instructions
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Mix together salt, pepper and paprika
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Season the chicken breasts all over, using all of the seasoning.
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Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons garlic roasted oilive oil over medium heat.
Note: Garlic Olive Oil recipe link in notes section below. Don't skimp on using the oil – you want to make sure the pan is well coated to allow the chicken ample grease to brown correctly.
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Cook the breasts on both sides until they are no longer pink and lightly brown – 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Note: I used a 12 inch non-stick frying pan. Cook the breasts in 2 batches. You do not want to overcrowd the pan. If you do the breasts will release liquid and it will not brown.
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When the breasts are cooked, remove to a plate and allow them to rest for 5 to 6 minutes before slicing.
While the chicken breasts are cooking, cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. During the last 2 minutes of cooking the pasta, add the asparagus tips to the pot.The asparagus will turn bright green during the 2 minutes, indicating it's cooked al dente. Drain and set aside.
ASSEMBLE THE PASTA, VEGETABLES AND CHICKEN:
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In a large salad bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, 3/4 of the chopped parsley, all of the olives, basil (use your fingers to rip the leaves or just leave the basil leaves whole), the pasta and asparagus. Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of the garlic olive oil. Mix to combine.
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Slice the chicken breasts into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Add them to the pasta and vegetables. Mix to combine.
Note: You can dice the chicken into bite size pieces if you prefer smaller bite size chunks.
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Garnish with the remaining parsley. Plate and serve. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t want to roast the garlic recipe below, you can alternatively use 3 to 4 cloves of garlic thickly sliced. To make the garlic flavor olive oil on the stovetop, add the garlic slices and 5 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to a frying pan. Turn on the heat to medium low. Cook the garlic until you smell the aroma of the garlic – don’t brown the garlic. Turn off the heat, Remove and discard the garlic. Use the garlic olive oil in the same manner of the roasted garlic oil. Note: This stovetop version of the garlic olive oil will be a bit more intense than the recipe below.
Roasted Garlic Olive Oil Recipe
Additional substitution – if you don’t like olives, try using chickpeas or your favorite beans.
