Italian Chicken Pasta

We tried this dish last night and it was delish. It came together really quickly. I actually think I might like it more without the chicken but the men around these parts wouldn't go for that one bit. I got this recipe from another food blog www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com I have tried a few recipes of hers and all but one(the chicken lo mein wasn't a hit here) has been a hit with our family. I have a few more of her recipes that I will be trying and will post them if we like them.

In other news, I have my first contributor to the blog!! YAY! My long lost sister(really best friend)Sandy. She will be helping me with this blog and I'm excited to see what she comes up with, really since we were room mates in college and she never seemed to like to cook. :) But from the sound of things it's now something she enjoys. We decided to make next week a Chinese week. We will be posting a few recipes for you to try and enjoy! If anyone else would like to be a contributor you are more than welcome!! We love new recipes too! :) Just shoot me an email. Thanks!


Italian Chicken Pastina

1 cup pastina pasta (I used macaroni, since I have it in my food storage)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
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

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.