Orecchiette with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Broccoli and Grilled Chicken

(Jane Bruce)

This dish is a riff on a delicious creation at one of my favorite Italian restaurants. The salty sun-dried tomatoes, fresh and bright broccoli, and small morsels of garlicky grilled chicken combine to make a complete, flavorful meal. You can use any short pasta here — I used orecchiette, the restaurant uses conchiglie. The dish is extremely easy to put together and lends itself well to making a big batch and bringing the leftovers to work the next day for a filling and hearty lunch.

Cook Time:

Prep Time:

Total Time:25 min

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Salt, for cooking pasta and seasoning chicken

1 pound orecchiette

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for pasta

1 Clove garlic, minced

1 Small yellow onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 Skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cup broccoli florets, lightly steamed

1/4 pound sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Chile flakes, to taste

Parmesan, for garnish

Preparation:

In a large pot, boil salted water for pasta. Once boiling, cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Once drained, drizzle with a little olive oil.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering but not smoking. Cook the garlic and onions until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove onions and garlic from pan and set aside.

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and cook in the same pan until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Once cooked, add the garlic, onions, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and chile flakes to the pan and stir to combine the flavors and heat everything through.

Combine the chicken and vegetables with the pasta and mix to combine. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!