Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Recipe
Bruschetta Chicken Pasta is a quick and easy one pan chicken pasta recipe loaded with juicy seared chicken, sweet tomatoes, garlic, basil, capers, mozzarella and balsamic. It’s fresh, flavorful and perfect for busy weeknights when you want a satisfying dinner without a ton of effort.
Servings: 4
Cost: $15
Equipment
- large skillet
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- stock pot
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 large chicken breasts about 1¼–1½ lb total
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Pasta and sauce
- 12 oz pasta penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti
- 3 tablespoon olive oil or 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved (or 2 cups diced Roma tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons capers drained (add 1 tbsp caper brine too, optional but great)
- ¼ cup chicken stock or dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze or 2 tsp balsamic vinegar to taste
- ⅓ cup fresh basil sliced/chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan optional
To finish
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls halved (or 1 cup diced fresh mozzarella)
- Extra basil and Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Pat chicken dry with pepper towels. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken 5–7 minutes per side (depending on thickness) until golden and cooked through (165°F on an instant read thermometer). Transfer to a plate and rest 5–10 minutes, then slice.
- In the same skillet (don’t wipe it out), lower the heat to medium. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil (or oil and butter). Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and capers. Cook 3–5 minutes until tomatoes soften and get burst slightly. Add chicken stock or wine and scrape up any browned bits. Simmer 1–2 minutes. Stir in balsamic glaze (or vinegar). Taste and adjust salt or pepper (capers add saltiness, so go easy).
- Add drained pasta to the skillet. Toss well, adding a little of the reserved pasta water until the sauce coats everything and begins to thicken.
- Remove from the heat Toss in basil and mozzarella (let it soften but not fully melt). Plate pasta, then arrange sliced chicken on top. Spoon extra tomato-caper sauce over the chicken. Finish with basil and Parmesan.
Notes
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness for the most even cooking.
- Reserve some pasta water before draining so you can loosen the sauce as needed.
- Capers add a salty punch, so taste before adding extra salt at the end.
- Stir in the mozzarella off the heat so it softens without fully melting.
- For extra fresh bruschetta flavor, add a handful of diced fresh tomatoes right before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 684kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 1366mg | Potassium: 957mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1245IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 400mg | Iron: 3mg