At the end of the week, I try to challenge myself to make a meal out of the ingredients leftover from the week. I was able to come up with this delicious pasta dish using chicken I found in my freezer, pasta from the pantry, and leftover lemon, cherry tomatoes, and white onion!
INGREDIENTS
-1 chicken breast
-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-1 serving whole grain farfalle pasta
-~ 10 cherry tomatoes
-1/4 white onion
-1 clove grated garlic
-1 lemon
-Oregano
-Crushed red pepper
-Fresh parsley
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Heat olive oil in small and medium sized skillet.
2. Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound flat. This will help chicken cook evenly. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add to the small skillet. Cook chicken 5 minutes per side.
3. When you add the chicken to the small skillet, add the farfalle pasta to the boiling water. Cook according to box directions.
4. Next, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and small dice the onion. Cut the lemon in half. Put half of the lemon aside and slice the other half; then cut the slices in half to form half-moons. Remove seeds from lemon slices.
5. Once the chicken has cooked on ONE side and you are about to flip it over, add the onion, cherry tomatoes, and garlic to the medium sized skillet. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, add the balsamic to the small skillet and glaze the chicken with it. Set chicken aside to rest.
7. When pasta is almost finished cooking, squeeze the juice from the lemon half you set aside onto the tomatoes and onion. Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked pasta to the medium sized skillet. Stir together and then stir in the lemon sliced (don't eat the lemon slices; they're there for flavor and to make the pasta look pretty!).
8. Add the pasta to a plate. Slice the chicken and place it on top of the pasta. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
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***Instead of using chicken, you can also make this dish with salmon!
Season a skinless salmon filet with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook salmon in a small skillet, about 5 minutes per side. Then glaze with balsamic.