Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

This is nice variation to many pasta dishes that have either a rich creamy sauce or a heavier tomato based sauce to accompany the pasta. If you take some of the toppings usually added for bruschetta, such as tomato, basil & garlic, then add it to pasta, you get a wonderful blend of flavours. Add a little balsamic vinegar, mix through cream & parmesan and finally top with sliced chicken and you have a fantastic chicken bruschetta pasta meal. No pasta sauce is required for this dish. The result is creamy without being overdone. I used bow tie pasta for this dish, however linguine pasta is also a good match.

Ingredients:
• 3 large Chicken Fillets breast fillets
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt to season
• Pepper to season
• 300 g Linguine
• 1/3 cup Thickened Cream
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Bruschetta
• 3 cups Tomatoes diced - I used a mixture of Roma & Cherry, (choose to your preference)
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic crushed
• 1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Basil Leaves finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat olive oil in frying pan on medium high heat.
2. Add chicken fillets, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Note: BBQ chicken if you prefer. Once cooked, slice chicken then set aside and keep warm.
3. Cook pasta in a large saucepan according to packet instructions,
4. While chicken and pasta are cooking, make bruschetta by adding tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt & pepper to a medium sized bowl. Stir to mix through.
5. Once pasta is cooked, drain water leaving a small amount in the saucepan with the pasta.
6. Turn heat to low and add 3/4 of the bruschetta to the pasta and mix through.
7. Add thickened cream and parmesan to the pasta and stir to mix through
8. Season with additional salt and pepper. Stir to mix through
9. Leave on heat for a further minute to ensure parmesan has melted and tomato is slightly cooked.
10. Serve pasta in a bowl topped with sliced chicken and spoon some of the remaining bruschetta mixture on top.
11. Sprinkle some additional parmesan on top before serving

For pictures & more follow the link below:
Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

bon appetit