Jennifer's Week Twenty-Nine Recipe: Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Chad and I were left to our own devices for dinner one night and, in an effort to eat out less, I wanted to make a relatively easy dinner for us to share and this was what I discovered thanks to the wonder of the internet.



Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina


1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta) Made a bit more than this and increased the other ingredients that I felt were necessary to increase.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes) - I added more chicken. 1/2 cup just isn't very much!
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish


Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.


Over all, it was quite yummy. Next time I may be more generous with the mozzerella, per Chad's request.