Name: Chicken Mozzarella Pasta - Pioneer Woman
Prep time: 16 min
Total time: 16 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 pound penne or rigatoni; 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 large onion, finely diced; One 25-ounce jar good-quality marinara sauce; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste; 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley; 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into medium cubes; 1/4 cup Parmesan shavings, plus grated Parmesan, for serving; 12 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta – This whole entire dish comes together in under 16 minutes. The chicken simmers away in a marinara sauce and at the end, fresh mozzarella cheese is added to make it all gooey and melty!

One of my favorite things to do on the weekend in the morning is to watch episodes of the Pioneer Woman, Ina Garten, Trisha Yearwood, and Molly Yeh on Food Network. Watching Food Network is how I learned how to cook. Every now and then, if I come across a recipe of theirs I love, I will feature it on this blog and it has been a while since I’ve done that. Recently, I noticed that Rachel Ray’s show 30 Minute Meals is on again I do like her as well. So happy to see her back.

I’ve been getting really good at scaling down recipes to only serve 1 or 2 people. Most of the recipes the Pioneer Woman makes, will feed a large family. For pasta recipes like this one, I’ll only use 1 or 2 cups of pasta instead of the WHOLE entire package. I’d have pasta for weeks if I did that. I really liked this and I liked how the chunks of cheese would get all melty inside the pasta. I also like how you can still have your favorite celebrity TV chefs recipe on a diet. Another reason why I love WW’s recipe builder app.

Ingredients for Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Penne or rigatoni
Olive oil
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Garlic
Onion
One 25-ounce jar good-quality marinara sauce
Red pepper flakes
Fresh Parsley
Fresh mozzarella, cut into medium cubes
Parmesan shavings
Basil leaves

How to make Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to cook, without stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir the chicken around to brown it on all sides. Remove to a plate.
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the garlic and onions and stir immediately to start cooking. Cook until the onions are deep golden, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and pour in the marinara sauce, red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup water. Stir until the onions and garlic are mixed in, then add the chicken back to the skillet. Add the parsley and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes.
Make sure the sauce is bubbly and very hot, then gently stir in the mozzarella. Let sit, undisturbed, until you can see that the mozzarella is very soft, 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain the pasta and pour it onto a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Immediately sprinkle on the Parmesan shavings. Pour on the sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and the chiffonade of basil and serve immediately!

Tips for Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

The fresh mozzarella is a must. Do not skimp out on this and use reduced fat mozzarella cheese! Most grocery stores carry this now. It is usually located in the deli area with all the other different types of cheeses and cured meats like salami! After you add it to the chicken the mozzarella because really melty and stringy and that was my favorite part.

Other Pasta Recipes

Cheeseburger Pasta

Shrimp and Pea Orzo Pasta Salad

Italian Pasta Salad

Creamy Tomato and Shrimp Pasta

One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta