Bruschetta Chicken Pasta is a tender, flavorful, quick and easy weeknight dinner. This perfect combination of classic Italian flavors starts with simply browning chicken in a large skillet and topping it with freshly made bruschetta sauce.
Toss in some pasta and you’ve got a 30-minute one-pan meal that is sure to be a family favorite.
Table of Contents
- Healthy Chicken Skillet Meal
- Why You'll Love This Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Ingredients
- Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- How to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
- Recipe Variations
- What to Serve with Chicken Bruschetta Pasta
- How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Leftover Pasta
- More Easy Dinners for Busy Weeknights
Healthy Chicken Skillet Meal
Weeknights can get pretty hectic and being able to get a delicious, light meal on the table for dinner can be almost impossible. Enter deliciously fantastic 30-minute meals!
Skillet dinners, aka one-pan meals, like Garlic Chicken with Orzo or Bacon Mac and Cheese Skillet are fast and delicious. Plus you only have a bowl, skillet, knife, and cutting board to clean up.
Why You'll Love This Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Recipe
If you love Italian food, then this chicken tomato basil pasta dish is the perfect thing to make! You can choose to use zucchini noodles to keep it gluten-free and low-carb or use your favorite pasta instead.
This bruschetta meal puts favorite Italian flavors together in a lighter way, using fresh produce and lean protein.
Bruschetta pasta with chicken checks off all the boxes. It's delicious, uses just one pan and takes just 30 minutes. Oh, and cleanup is a breeze.
Ingredients
For the bruschetta pasta sauce:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Minced garlic
- Fresh basil
- Fresh or dried oregano
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
For the chicken and pasta:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Olive oil
- Spaghetti pasta
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- You can use chopped Roma tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.
- You can use other pasta instead of spaghetti. Angel hair, fettuccini, or penne pasta are all great choices.
- For a gluten-free dinner, use gluten-free pasta instead of regular pasta.
- For a low-carb dinner, use spaghetti squash or spiralized zucchini (zoodles) instead of pasta.
How to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
for bruschetta sauce
- Place halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil, minced garlic and oregano in a medium bowl.
- Add olive oil to tomato mixture.
- Pour in balsamic vinegar.
- Toss bruschetta. Let sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes to marry flavors.
for bruschetta chicken with pasta
- Season 4 chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer add chicken breasts.
- Brown chicken breasts, covered, for 8-10 minutes then flip and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
- Remove chicken from skillet and add bruschetta pasta sauce. Reserve ½ cup to serve on the side.
- Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.
- Slice the chicken and return it to the skillet, keeping it on the side of the pasta. Cover and let the pasta and chicken simmer together for about 2 minutes.
Juicy tomatoes and fresh basil give both the pasta and the chicken those classic Italian flavors everyone loves. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Chicken Tomato Mozzarella Pasta - Instead of topping it with Parmesan, put either shredded or sliced mozzarella on top and put the skillet under the broiler until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned.
- Creamy Chicken Bruschetta Pasta - Add ¼ to ½ of a cup of heavy cream to the bruschetta sauce.
- Grilled Chicken Bruschetta Pasta - Cook the chicken on an outdoor grill or in a grill pan instead of frying it in a skillet.
- Shrimp Bruschetta Pasta - Use peeled and deveined shrimp instead of chicken. Note that shrimp only takes a few minutes to cook so it will be an even faster dinner to make.
What to Serve with Chicken Bruschetta Pasta
To serve this dish, I like to plate the pasta on a large platter, top it with sliced chicken then garnish it with Parmesan cheese.
Some great side dishes for chicken tomato basil pasta are:
- Bread - Air Fryer Bread, Garlic Bread, or French Bread.
- Italian Toasts: Bruschetta or Crostini.
- Salad - Caesar salad or simple green salad.
- Vegetables - Steamed or roasted broccoli, green beans, or zucchini fries.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Leftover Pasta
To Store: Transfer cooled leftovers to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: Place the cooled leftovers in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.
To Reheat: Microwave pasta on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 15-second increments until heated through.
Note that frozen and reheated pasta will have a softer texture. If you know you'll be freezing pasta, it's best to cook it al dente.
More Easy Dinners for Busy Weeknights
Tortellini with Italian Sausage
Creole Chicken and Shrimp Sheet Pan Dinner
Find more easy dinners on 2CM!
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Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Bruschetta Sauce
- 2 pounds cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic or 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup fresh basil packed firmly & chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Chicken and Pasta
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (plus more if needed while cooking)
- 8 ounces spaghetti pasta (measured dry)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Mix all bruschetta sauce ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes so flavors will marry.
- While bruschetta is marinating, season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- When the oil starts to shimmer, place chicken breasts carefully in the pan and brown for 8 to 10 minutes on one side, turn and brown on the second side for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Cover while cooking to help retain moisture.
- While the chicken is cooking, cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- When the chicken is done, remove to a cutting board. Add the bruschetta sauce mixture to the pan, reserving ½ cup to serve on the side.
- Immediately add cooked spaghetti to the skillet and toss to coat.
- Slice chicken on the diagonal and add it back into the skillet. Simmer, covered, for about 2 minutes, just enough to heat the pasta.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with paremsan cheese and additional basil if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated with an improved recipe, new photos, and more helpful information. It was first published on October 4, 2018.
