One Pot Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

Do you want to make a delicious and healthy dinner for your family in just 20 minutes? Read on to see how easy it is to make One-Pot Chicken Bruschetta Pasta! 

No one in history has ever written me and said “I need more 2 hour recipes,” however they have requested more quick recipes. I was excited about the ease of “one-pot wonder pastas” when they trended last year, but had miserable,  mushy failures with each attempt.

Lucky for you, I’m here to tell you about my recipe that worked. 

Bruschetta, a classic Italian appetizer, can also make a wonderfully simple, but flavorful pasta. What really elevates this dish is the toasted fennel and fresh basil. You will only need 10 ingredients and 30 minutes to prepare this simple one-pot dish.

While this is a one pot meal, it comes in two (three if you decide to marinate) process, but all one skillet. Spaghetti cooks right in the pot without needing any draining. 

While most people merely think about this being simple and reducing a step and cleaning one colander, I think of it as a way to infuse pasta with SO MUCH FLAVOR!

Instead of just water, pasta is sucking up seasoned tomato juice and chicken broth. YUM!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

Besides being an easy weeknight dinner full of juicy chicken and bruschetta topping, there are plenty of reasons we love this delicious pasta recipe.

• Family favorite – This pasta is sure to be loved by the entire family. Even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy it.
• Fresh flavor – With fresh herbs like basil, this pasta is an Italian food that tastes like it’s been simmering all day.
• Quick and easy – We could all use a few more 30-minute meals in our lives, and this pasta does just that.

Ingredients

This simple meal is made even better by it’s simple ingredients. Anything you don’t already have can easily be found at the grocery store.

• Balsamic dressing – While this is an optional ingredient, I highly recommend it. This is what we’ll use to marinate the chicken. It just adds an extra flavor to the whole dish.
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Chicken breast is what I prefer to use for this recipe. I almost always have a package of them in the freezer.
• Extra virgin olive oil – Some may beg to differ, but to me, a good quality olive oil makes all the difference in pasta dishes like this.
• Onion – I like to use a sweet onion for this recipe. A yellow onion is usually sweet, but you can use any type of onion you’d like to. Red onion is generally too pungent for me in recipes like this.
• Garlic cloves – Always use fresh garlic when cooking recipes like this. The pre-minced jars from the grocery store don’t pack as much punch. You could use garlic powder in a pinch.
• Fennel seeds – If you don’t already have them, you can find fennel seeds at your local grocery store. They can be found down the spice aisle.
• Dry spaghetti – While I like to use spaghetti for this pasta dish, you could really use any shaped pasta you prefer. Angel hair would also work really well.
• Diced tomatoes – I used canned for ease, but if you’d like to use fresh tomatoes, I’d use a variety like roma tomatoes for the best results. Cherry tomatoes are a littler harder to use.
• Chicken bullion – You can use one chicken bullion cube or one teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder or bouillon base. They are interchangeable.
• Seasonings – A blend of Italian seasoning, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and fresh basil leaves are all we really need to season this bruschetta mixture.
• Parmesan cheese – This is optional, but it serves as a delicious garnish. I prefer to freshly grate my own cheese. Fresh mozzarella cheese would also be delicious.

How to Make Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

The best part of this bruschetta chicken pasta recipe is how easy it is to make!

1. Pound chicken. Using a meat tenderizer, pound chicken breasts to a uniform thickness throughout. Cut each breast in half.
2. Marinate chicken. Marinate the chicken breasts in balsamic dressing for 1-24 hours.
3. Cook chicken. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat and add chicken breasts. Cook chicken on each side until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Sauté onion, garlic and fennel seeds. Heat additional olive oil in the same pan. Add onions and garlic, sauté until they start to soften. Add fennel seeds and continue to heat. 
5. Combine tomatoes and bouillon. Strain canned tomatoes. Add water and chicken bouillon cube and stir. 
6. Pour liquid over pasta. Break spaghetti into thirds and add to the skillet, spreading out evenly. Pour liquid over the top. Add strained tomatoes and Italian seasoning. 
7. Cook pasta. Cook for a few minutes, then toss to make sure any pieces of pasta that weren’t hitting liquid directly, are. Cook for another few minutes. Remove from heat and toss in Kosher, black pepper and fresh basil leaves. 
8. Top with chicken. Spoon onto serving dishes, top with sliced chicken and Parmesan cheese.

What to Serve with Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

To make this a complete meal, there are several things that we like to serve it with. To add a little veggies to the meal, we like to serve this pasta with a nice green side salad.

Pasta recipes are often served with a side of garlic bread. We also like to serve a soup like Italian Wedding Soup as a starter and it’s a huge hit.

Variations

We like this meal exactly as written, but there are plenty of ways that you can make it your own.

• Protein – You don’t have to use chicken breasts- you can use anything you want! You can use chicken thighs shrimp, sausage or even make this into a vegetarian bruschetta pasta.
• Spicy – Hubby likes to sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes on top or even add 1 teaspoons to the pasta while cooking. You can even add sliced spicy peppers. 
• Lower in carbs – To make this more of a light meal, use zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti noodles.
• Pasta – You don’t have to use regular spaghetti. You can use thin spaghetti or whatever your favorite pasta noodle might be.

Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing

Storage: Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat.

Make ahead: You can make this dish ahead of time, but I feel like any pasta that is already tossed in sauce tastes better fresh. You’ll lose the al dente factor and it might be a little more starchy.

Freezing: Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Please be mindful that you’ll run into the same issues as making it ahead of time, it will be a little less al dente and a little more starchy. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Tomato Basil Shrimp Pasta
• One Pan Sausage Alfredo Pasta
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One Pot Chicken Bruschetta Pasta is uses only one dish and a handful of ingredients to make dinner for the whole family. Tomatoes, fennel, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese make this a winning dish! 

Prep Time: 4 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 18 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Equipment

• Garlic press
• Large Cast Iron Skillet
• Meat Tenderizer

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic dressing , optional
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , divided
• 1 sweet onion , thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 pound dry spaghetti
• 30 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 1 chicken bullion cube*
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• Grated Parmesan Cheese , for garnish

Instructions

• Using a meat tenderizer, pound chicken breasts into 1/4 inch thick, or a uniform thickness throughout. Cut each breast in half. They are easier to handle when smaller. 
• If you have the foresight or the time, marinate the chicken breasts in balsamic dressing for 1-24 hours. This step is optional. You can omit this and move right to cooking the chicken if you wish. 
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a very large skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat and add chicken breasts. If you used the marinade, discard leftover marinade. 
• Cook chicken on each side until cooked or internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Slice after resting. 
• Heat additional 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same pan without wiping it out. Add onions and garlic, saute for 2-3 minute or until they start to soften. Add fennel seeds and continue to heat for 2 minutes. 
• Strain canned tomatoes over a large measuring cup (will be approximately 1 cup). Add water to make a total of 3 1/2 cups liquid. Add chicken bouillon cube and stir. 
• Break spaghetti into thirds and add to the skillet, spreading out evenly. Pour 3 1/2 cups liquid over the top. Add strained tomatoes and Italian seasoning. 
• Cook for 5 minutes, then toss to make sure any pieces of pasta that weren’t hitting liquid directly, are. If liquid is fully absorbed, add an additional 1/2 cup of water.**
• Cook for another 5 minutes (10 minutes total). Remove from heat and toss in Kosher, black pepper and fresh basil leaves. 
• Spoon onto serving dishes, top with sliced chicken and  Parmesan cheese.

Notes

* 1 chicken bullion cube or 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder or bouillon base. 

**Every pasta brand is going to need a different amount of liquid, so it is nearly impossible to predict how much you will need to get cooked pasta without being overly watery. Start with the 3 1/2 cups and while cooking and stirring (to prevent sticking to bottom) add more in small increments until pasta is fully cooked to ad dente. 

Nutrition

Calories: 434 kcal, Carbohydrates: 71 g, Protein: 19 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 24 mg, Sodium: 456 mg, Potassium: 705 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 11 g, Vitamin A: 295 IU, Vitamin C: 17.5 mg, Calcium: 111 mg, Iron: 3.4 mg

Author: Jessica Formicola

Calories: 434

Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: one dish chicken brucshetta