This One-Pan Mediterranean Chicken Pasta is quick, easy and insanely delicious. Best of all, the entire meal is cooked in only one pan. Cooking all of the ingredients together in one pan = maximum flavor with very little effort.  A delicious, well-balanced meal in less than 30 minutes and only one pan to clean –  it doesn’t get any better than that!

This is the epitome of a perfect weeknight meal. Tender chunks of chicken, perfectly cooked pasta, flavorful veggies all mingling with a light, creamy sauce. The pasta cooks right in the pan with the other ingredients so it really absorbs all of those delicious flavors, much more so than cooking pasta in water. The starch of the pasta also helps thicken the sauce, no need for heavy cream!

TIPS:

• Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before beginning the recipe. In a professional kitchen, this is called mise- en- place, which translates to “put in place”. If I could give one tip to amateur cooks, this is it. This will greatly improve your cooking skills. Just trust me on this one.
• I used boneless chicken thighs for this recipe, but boneless chicken breasts will also work.
• It’s important to use cream cheese that has come to room temperature, for proper melting. I try to leave it out for an hour or so before beginning the recipe.
• For perfectly cooked pasta; add the cream cheese to the pan when the pasta is slightly undercooked. It will still continue to cook while you are adding the remaining ingredients.

One- pan Mediterranean Chicken Pasta

Recipe Source: A Vintage Kitchen

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb. boneless and skinless chicken thighs,  cut in 1″ pieces
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper, diced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups of milk
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 lb. dry rotini pasta, uncooked ( or similarly shaped pasta)
• 4 oz. light cream cheese, cut into small cubes and room temperature 
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• one small tomato, diced

Directions:

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil to the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until golden brown on all sides. Remove from pan.
2. Melt butter in the same pan. Lower heat to medium-low. Saute the onions until softened, add garlic and cook an additional minute.
3. Deglaze pan with chicken stock, stirring to loosen all the browned bits from the pan. Add milk, roasted peppers, chicken and uncooked pasta, along with a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Simmer until the pasta is al dente (firm to the tooth) about 7 to 8 minutes. Stir often.
4. Stir in the softened cream cheese, until the cream cheese is melted into the sauce. Remove from heat. Stir in the fresh spinach and grated parmesan cheese. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Top with fresh, diced tomatoes and extra parmesan cheese. Yields: 6 servings

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