Italian Baked Chicken and Pasta

Submitted by PeytonandKaylansMama

"Courtesy of Giada DeLaurentiis! I made this today after sitting on the recipe for quite some time. I am sorry I held on to it. It will be in my regular rotation from now on, it was easy, quick and very tasty. I will change a few things though...I will use tomatoes with Italian seasoning and maybe a little more cheese next time! I even think it would be good if you added some ricotta to the mix. There are a lot of possibilities, but it was good as it is written. I doubled the recipe and it was fine. Enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 cup Italian pastina (or any small pasta, I used small shells)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup cubed chicken breast
• 1⁄2 cup diced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (I recommend using the ones with Italian seasoning)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more
• butter, for baking dish

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring medium pot of salted water to boil.
3. Add pasta and cook until just tender about 5 minutes. Drain into large bowl.
4. Meanwhile heat olive oil in medium sautee pan over med heat.
5. Add chicken and cook about 3 minutes.
6. Add onions and garlic combine and cook about 5 minutes more or until chicken is done and onions soft.
7. Add chicken to pasta in bowl, stir in canned tomatoes, mozzarella, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.
8. Place in buttered 8x8x2 dish.
9. In small bowl combine bread crumbs and Parmesan.
10. Spread over pasta mixture.
11. Dot the top with butter.
12. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Reviews

[Sweetness of Rose]

This recipe was quite good. I added a lot more pasta then one cup and added Italian seasoning. The second time I made it I also added artichoke hearts and it tasted great. I also added much more mozzarella the second time around since I love cheese. I really enjoyed the taste of the fresh parsley. Thanks for a great recipe!

 

[Citruholic]

This was great. I think you have to really make the sauce your own, then "flavorless and runny" won't be an option. I don't think just dumping canned tomatoes and other ingredients on the dish is the best way (Step 7). Also it's important to really season your chicken, as chicken breasts have almost no taste on their own. I season with with kosher salt and then pepper, and then added some classic dried Italian herbs. DELICIOUS! I will keep this one on hand whenever I'm at a loss as to what to do with chicken breasts. And since I put up lots of jars of my own special sauce, it's a quick go-to. Another added note.....since mozzarella tends not to have much flavor, using an herbed or garlic one will help with flavor. Even try switching out for an equally delicious melty cheese (I'd stay away from cheddar personally.) There's nothing I've ever made of Giada's that hasn't come out perfect. She's the best. Thanks for posting. ADDED NOTE: I'm not sure if this recipe was word-for-word Giada (ie, the way she would do it), but I cooked my chicken til browned and almost cooked through, and my pasta to slightly before al dente, because they're both going to continue to cook in a 400 degree oven for 30 additional minutes.

 

[mums the word]

I have made this a few times now after borrowing Giada's cookbook from the library. It is indeed excellent. I have made it using Giada's Marinara Sauce in place of the diced tomatoes and it was great. I also have made it without the chicken because I forgot to put it in once and that was still good. So, you can change this up pretty easily and still have a great dinner. Thx for posting!

 

[Irmgard]

This is excellent but I wouldn't expect anything less from one of Giada's recipes. I made it as written, using acini de pepe for the pasta. I added a half teaspoon of Italian herb blend since I could only get plain canned tomatoes but I think next time I will leave it out as I could taste the rosemary too much. My husband just loved this so I will be making it again.

 

[Kimbers Kitchen]

This was fabulous. I used the small macarroni noodles in mine. I also cut out the onion, because we don't care for them much. My husband loved it and it made plenty, so we had leftovers for lunch. This is a keeper!!