Chicken Feta

This is one of my most favorite recipes from a restaurant I worked in (and eat at every time I go home!) while living in Ohio. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

CAVEAT: This is a recipe I made from scratch (as the restaurant wouldn't give me the real recipe) and I never measure anything. So, that being said.. all of these "measurements" are approximations. Feel free to add or delete as you see/smell fit:)

Dinner for 2:

Your Preferred Pasta
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg feta cheese
1 quart cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1-1 1/2 tsp red pepper chili flakes or to taste
1/2 tsp red/black pepper combo or to taste
6 tbs olive oil (EVOO preferred)
2 tsp butter/margarine
parmesan cheese -- a couple good shakes
salt to taste
4 or 5 cloves of garlic, minced or thru garlic press
1 tsp parsley

Cube the chicken breasts. In a flat bottom sautee pan, put about 2 inches of water. Put in the chicken along with some sprinklings of Italian seasonings (your choice, I like oregano, thyme and a little sage). Place a lid over the pan and steam the chicken til it is HALFWAY cooked. Do not overcook it or it will be really tough in the finished dish. Turn off and remove from heat. Drain off the water and let the chicken sit, still covered.

Cover the bottom of a large sized sautee pan with an inch or so of olive oil. You will need enough of this to cover the pasta/chicken mixture for your finished dish. Heat it to sizzle, turn heat to low, then add in the butter, parsley, garlic, parmesan and chili flakes. You should have a nice, rich smelling "sauce" as it all blends together. Add the chicken, and stir it around so all chicken is coated with olive oil sauce. (If you need more olive oil to cover the pasta, now is the best time to add it so it soaks up the flavor of the seasonings. Feel free to add more garlic, salt, parm or chili...)

Cook your pasta. I prefer wheat rigatoni or penne, but any pasta works. Cook to Al Dente and NO FURTHER. Drain and rinse with warm water.

Add the pasta immediately to the olive oil/chicken mixture and simmer around for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir continuously so noodles don't burn to the pan, and so all the flavors blend nicely.

Add tomatoes (black olives and/or sauteed onions are also a nice addition here) and stir for another minute to take off the chill of the tomato but not so they are cooked through.

Dish and add a good sprinkling of feta cheese to each serving. Top with a sprig of fresh parsley if you want it to be really pretty and serve. ENJOY!