Creamy Feta and Chicken Pasta

Yesterday was a weird day. The virus, the news…the surreal nature of what we are all currently going through. I’m taking it waaaay back with some good ole comfort food, straight from the Barua patio circa 1993, with this creamy feta and chicken pasta.

If you know me…like, know me know me, you’re probably like, “whoa, Chrissy doesn’t eat pasta.” And you would be right, but here I am posting my second pasta dish of late.  I’m telling you that this chickpea pasta has truly been a game changer in my kitchen and doesn’t leave me feeling as ick as regular old noodles always have.  Thank you, chickpea farmers!

Anyway, this dish.  I don’t know what had me craving this dish, but here we are and suddenly I’m 12 again.

Back in the day, we lived in Florida. Actually, we lived in Florida until I was 13 and we moved to Michigan for me to go to high school. A very typical dinner included some sort of side (usually rice) and chicken on the grill.  Mom loves the grill. One of her less likely creations was a creamy feta pasta that used a salad dressing/sauce as its base. I say less likely because we really were not a noodle family.  Rice, potatoes, bread. Anyway,  Cafe Athens, for all you Publix shoppers out there, is the base for this one. This sauce is the BEST, as I say that as someone who 1) doesn’t typically buy salad dressing and 2) doesn’t typically eat creamy salad dressings. This is worthy of an exception.

However, since I don’t live in Florida and cannot easily access this sauce, it was up to me to make my own, or my best version of it.  It came together quite smoothly in the food processor and while I can’t say that it’s as good as the store bought stuff, it’s still tasty and delicious and I’m proud of it enough to put it on here for ya’ll to see.

It’s a simple puree of Greek yogurt, feta cheese, dill and oregano, garlic, salt and pepper, good olive oil and chicken stock for creaminess. Ooh, and can’t forget the lemon.

The sauce is tossed in noodles, chicken, broiled or grilled and seasoned with your favorite grill seasoning and fresh spinach. Pine nuts, optional if you like them.

That’s it! And the sauce is all kinds of good to put on an actual salad, a sandwich or, dare I even suggest a marinade.

This one will carry you through the seasons into fall for when all of us are back on our patios, hopefully gathering as we once did.

Creamy Feta and Chicken Pasta

January 7, 2021

Servings: 2

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 30 min

Total: 40 min

Difficulty: Easy

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Creamy Feta and Chicken Pasta is a quick and easy dinner with fresh spinach, grilled chicken and a delicious and creamy feta dressing.

By: Chrissy

Ingredients

• 10 ounces chicken breast
• 2 -4 TB grill seasoning
• 5 ounces feta cheese
• 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 TB fresh dill
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 TB good high quality olive oil
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 ounces dry pasta, your choice
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup pine nuts (optional)

Directions

• Step 1 Heat the oven to broil, or the grill to high.
• Step 2 Season the chicken breasts with grill seasoning thoroughly on both sides. Cook on the grill or under the broiler, 7 minutes on the first side, 5 minutes on the second side. Set aside to rest at least 5 minutes. Slice each breast on a bias.
• Step 3 While the chicken is cooking, cook the noodles according to package directions.
• Step 4 Make the sauce by placing the yogurt, feta, spices, lemon, oil, garlic and stock in the food processor or a blender, and puree until smooth.
• Step 5 Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and put them back into the pot. Add the fresh spinach, and add 1/2 cup of the sauce, the chicken and pine nuts. if using them, and toss everything thoroughly, adding more sauce as desired. Serve hot.