Greek Chicken Pasta

I have made an observation this last month or so while posting recipes to this blog. We eat a lot of foods that are inspired by the flavors of Greece and the Mediterranean, at least in the summer. I love the flavor profile of that area: olive oil, olives, Feta cheese,tomatoes all of these flavors are so wonderful especially in the summer months.

This pasta dish is great anytime of year and works equally well with either chicken or turkey. Most of the ingredients are things that are always on hand at my house so I can make this when I don't want to make a trip to the store. Also it is just impressive enough to serve to guests so it is a perfect dish to pull out when you get unexpected guests around meal time.

The only down side to this dish in my opinion is that some of the ingredients are a bit on the pricy side (sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts) I do try to watch for sales on these ingredients so I can get them for less and just have them when I need them. I do admit to a bit of sticker shock when I went to make this for the blog picture. I had run out of sun-dried tomatoes and had to buy them at regular price but that got me to thinking how do I use these ingredients to really make them stand out. First off don't chop them up too finely! I know there is a school of thought that if you chop them up really finely then you get a little bit in every bit. I say NO! cut them in larger pieces so they really show up. I would rather see fewer large pieces of these ingredients than to have tiny bits of stuff I can't identify in every bite. So I just cut the olives each in half they show up so much better that way. Then I cut the rest of the expensive stuff into about the same size pieces.

Also I used the marinade from the artichokes as the base for my vinaigrette for our salad. I simply added some extra virgin olive oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar and some dry herbs. After all you paid for both the artichokes and the marinade they come in.

Also in this recipe (like in many of my recipes) I make the white sauce in the microwave. I do this all the time, it is practically fool proof and really pretty fast.

Greek Chicken Pasta

½ pound uncooked dry penne pasta

¼ cup butte

1 cup chopped onion

¼ cup flour

1 (14 0z) can chicken broth

1 cup (about 4 oz) crumbled Feta cheese

3 cups (approximately, use what you have) chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

½ sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed) drained and chopped

1/3 halved kalamata olives

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Grease an 11”x7” casserole dish

Cook pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile melt butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave (about 30 seconds to a minute)

Add onion to butter and heat in microwave on high for about 2 minutes at a time until soft and starting to cook through.

Add flour, stir well and heat in microwave for 30 seconds.

Stir in chicken broth. Microwave on high at 1 minute, stir and repeat until mixture starts to bubble and thicken.

Combine all ingredients and put in prepared casserole dish.

Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes until hot.

Garnish with additional parsley and oregano if desired.