Pasta with Chicken, Tomatoes, and Feta
By America's Test KitchenPublished on November 7, 2011
Time
30 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces)Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 pound rotini pasta (see note)2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved1 ½ cups crumbled feta cheese (about 6 ounces)½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice thin crosswise and reserve.
- Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in sliced chicken, tomatoes, feta, olives, parsley, and 1 cup reserved pasta water (adding additional water as needed). Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Time
30 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound rotini pasta (see note)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ½ cups crumbled feta cheese (about 6 ounces)
½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound rotini pasta (see note)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ½ cups crumbled feta cheese (about 6 ounces)
½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound rotini pasta (see note)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ½ cups crumbled feta cheese (about 6 ounces)
½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Why This Recipe Works
Be sure to liberally salt the water for the pasta in our recipe for Pasta with Chicken, Tomatoes, and Feta; otherwise the pasta will taste bland. We used rotini pasta, but other short pastas, such as penne, gemelli, or campanelle would also work well in this recipe. We found it was best to purchase a whole piece of feta and crumble it just before serving. Precrumbled feta was often dry and bland. Adding some of the hot pasta cooking water when combining the pasta and other ingredients melted the feta and coated the pasta with a light, creamy sauce. NOTE: this recipe was updated in April 2025.
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice thin crosswise and reserve.
- Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in sliced chicken, tomatoes, feta, olives, parsley, and 1 cup reserved pasta water (adding additional water as needed). Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
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