- 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh basil, chopped
- 3 cups arugula or baby arugula, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Fill a large pasta pot with water and place it over high heat. Once the water comes up to a boil, salt it and drop in the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve a mugful of starchy cooking water, then drain and reserve.
While the water is coming up to a boil, place a large skillet over high heat with three turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, then add it to the pre-heated skillet. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.
Once the chicken is golden brown, add the garlic and onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes burst open and begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes (if they haven’t started to burst open by that time, mash them lightly with a potato masher or wooden spoon). Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta and reserved starchy cooking water (about 1 cup) to the skillet with the chicken and tomatoes, and toss over the heat until combined, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil, arugula and cheese. Serve.
This is one of many “Yum-o!” recipes – it’s good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael’s nonprofit organization, go to www.yum-o.org.