Balsamic vinegar, feta cheese, and grilled chicken combine to create a perfect blend of flavors, and with grilled chicken from the freezer, it is a quick and delicious meal.
Video
Introduction
If I had to choose the dish I would rather have than any other, it would probably be this one. It combines several of my favorites flavors: balsamic vinegar (which I believe to be The Ultimate Condiment), feta cheese, and grilled chicken. It is a quick and delicious meal that packs a lot of flavor.
We previously called this dish Chicken Orecchiette, but it can be made with any kind of small hearty pasta. When we were preparing the dish for photos and video, we didn't have access to orecchiette and had to use shells. Many of you have told us in the past that you also didn't have access to it. Orecchiette is delicious with the Mediterranean flavors, but you can substitute shells as we did here.
Time needed
If you have prepped and have cooked chicken, peppers, and onions from the freezer, you can have this on the table in about 15 minutes. If not, it still comes in at under 30 minutes. Even if you don't have prepped ingredients in the freezer, using rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut for this recipe. Be sure to check out my other rotisserie chicken dinner ideas for easy weeknight dinners!
Ingredients
- cooked and rinsed shell or orecchiette pasta
- light extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- diced tomatoes
- red bell pepper
- onion
- cooked chicken
- fresh basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- feta cheese
- shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Sauté the pepper and onion in about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat, then add the tomatoes and basil. Fire-roasted tomatoes add even more flavor to this dish.
Mix the cooked shells with the balsamic vinegar and add to the pan along with the Parmesan and feta cheeses.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with additional feta before serving.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Mediterranean Chicken with Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces shell or orecchiette pasta
- 1 tablespoon light extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cups cooked chicken
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, or 2-3 teaspoons dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese, plus extra for garnish
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare 16 ounces shell or orecchiette pasta as directed on package.
- Cube 3 cups cooked chicken.
- Dice 1 medium red bell pepper and 1 medium onionand sauté in 1 tablespoon light extra virgin olive oil.
- And cubed chicken, 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (drained), and ¼ cup chopped fresh basil and mix well.
- In a bowl, combine cooked pasta and ½ cup balsamic vinegar. Add to chicken and vegetables.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese and ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Toss well and serve immediately, garnishing with extra feta cheese.
Notes
- Orecchiette pasta's hearty thickness is the perfect for this dish, but not all stores carry it. If you can't find it, pasta shells are the best substitution.
- This can be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken or using your favorite plant-based chicken substitute.
Joanna
I had gotten behind today and we had eaten all of our grilled chicken so I bought a rotisserie chicken at the store and threw that in with the pasta. It was a quick and easy meal.
Mary Ann
Thanks, Joanna. I've done that before and it was good, but I found that the chicken shredded more than I preferred because it was so tender. It's an easy and cheap way to do prepared chicken, though.