If you love Italian food then this is a deluxe meal you will most definitely want to try! It is fancy, loaded with fresh goodness, creamy, hearty and beyond good! You get everything that’s on your average Caprese Chicken and so much more, with the tender pasta, fire roasted tomato sauce, additional garlic (because I think they never put enough garlic in the store bought bottled spaghetti sauce, you could even add two cloves to the recipe), and yes of course the perfectly grilled chicken breast strips. This is a meal you are going to remember. If you wanted to really splurge you could even add in some cooked Pancetta or Bacon, yum! Sorry I didn’t get many pictures (I wanted more pictures with the grilled chicken showing through it’s kind of hidden in there), this was my families Sunday dinner and I couldn’t resist that ooey gooey cheesy goodness long. It was calling my name. I looked over to my husband and the cheese was dripping clear from the fork near his mouth to the plate sitting in his lap (yeah we ate this fancy meal on the couch, not usual but once in a while its fun =). Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 medium chicken breast halves, grilled and diced into strips*
- 9 oz Rigatoni or Penne pasta
- 2 cups fire roasted tomato pasta sauce (I used Classico)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup finely grated Romano Cheese
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- red pepper flakes, to taste (optional, for added heat)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, diced into halves
- 12 oz fresh mozzarella, grated**
- 16 fresh Basil leaves, chopped chiffonade style (mine were fairly small)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta to al dente according to directions listed on package. While pasta is boiling, in a separate medium saucepan over medium low heat, heat tomato pasta sauce, heavy cream, Romano cheese, garlic, optional red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.
- Drain cooked pasta well, return pasta to pot. Add in grilled diced chicken, grape tomatoes, half of the mozzarella and half of the basil ribbons, then pour warm sauce over mixture. Toss to evenly coat. Pour mixture into a greased casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and cook pasta uncovered for about 20 - 25 minutes until cheese is golden. Serve warm sprinkled with remaining fresh basil.
- Recipe Source: adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is
Notes
*This was about 1 lb chicken. I placed the chicken in a ziploc bag then pounded each breast to an even thickness, then removed and sprayed each chicken breast lightly with olive oil cooking spray. I seasoned each side with salt, pepper and a light sprinkle of garlic powder. Then grilled them until cooked through, cut them in half thick wise (like cutting a bun), and diced them into fairly thin strips. **I've heard some people say they have trouble grating fresh mozzarella, I had no problem with this but if you do you can freeze it for 20 minutes prior to grating. They don't need to be perfect shreds its really just to break it up.
The Cooking Actress: *chuckle* Do I like Italian food? Do I like Italian fooood?!!
I LOVE IT!! This looks wonderful! :D September 17, 2012 at 11:20am
Four Marrs and One Venus: Oh. My . GOSH! That loos so so so good!!!!!!! September 17, 2012 at 4:43pm
Tasha @thatssoyummy: This looks delicious! September 17, 2012 at 5:33pm
Anonymous: i’m doing this tomorrow i cant wait lol what is my life September 17, 2012 at 11:54pm
Johlet: I just had breakfast! So thanks to your post I’m hungry all over! This pasta looks insanely good!
http://johced-ourjourneytoeverywhere.blogspot.com/
xxx September 18, 2012 at 12:08am
Faith: My mouth is watering. Look at all that cheese!!! September 18, 2012 at 12:03pm
Sarah | Yahoo! Shine: I can’t even deal with how good this looks! It would be perfect for a night of wine-drinking and movie-watching. It would be a perfect contribution to the Shine Supper Club. I hope you’ll consider joining us!
http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/3-easy-chicken-pasta-recipes-shine-supper-club-153800237.html September 18, 2012 at 2:43pm
Franchise Brisbane: Beautiful recipe! It looks nice on the photos. September 24, 2012 at 11:01am
Anonymous: Made this tonight…came together really easily and tasted delish. Thanks for sharing! September 25, 2012 at 3:10pm
Hillary Miller: Hi Jaclyn,
Based on your delicious Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta photos, we’d like to invite you to submit your food photos on a food photography site called http://www.foodporn.net so our readers can enjoy your creations.
It is absolutely free and fun to make others hungry!
Thanks :)
September 25, 2012 at 9:48pm
Anonymous: thanks for sharing..
October 1, 2012 at 10:42pm
Four Marrs and One Venus: I am making this right now and it smells so so good! October 23, 2012 at 6:22pm
Sister Spice: This is one of those recipes that I cannot wait to make…perhaps it will be on my weekend menu for my husband me! Looks fabulous. November 14, 2012 at 6:40pm
emmett: I substituted ground turkey for the chicken, just to mix it up a bit. It turned out delicious!! Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper!
December 8, 2012 at 8:21pm
Chicken Caprese Pasta |: […] So…it {wasn’t} shocking when I demanded we try this new recipe from Cooking Classy. […] December 29, 2012 at 10:24pm
Becca J: Our family loved this! Hubby said it was amazing! Thanks for the delicious recipe!! December 31, 2012 at 7:41pm
Jaclyn: I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it Becca! Thanks for your comment! January 1, 2013 at 12:20am
Top 10 Pinterest Dinner Recipes | Manda's Mommy Mayhem: […] Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta […] January 4, 2013 at 9:17pm
Amy V.: It’s in the Oven right now! I cannot wait! January 18, 2013 at 6:38pm
Jaclyn: I hope you love it =)! January 18, 2013 at 8:39pm
Chicken Caprese Pasta | Healthy Hearts Nutrition, LLC: […] So…it {wasn’t} shocking when I demanded we try this new recipe from Cooking Classy. […] January 19, 2013 at 4:20pm
Jean: Quick question, Can the heavy cream be substituted? and if so, what can i use? February 11, 2013 at 5:53pm
Jaclyn: Jean – Regular cream or half an half is what I’d recommend. February 11, 2013 at 6:40pm
Bridgitte Brown: Can I use any kind of tomato sauce? Like just a roasted garlic or was it important to use the fire roasted for some reason? Haha February 21, 2013 at 4:23pm
Jaclyn: Bridgette – you can use any kind of the marinara style sauce you’d like, you could even use a homemade sauce. I just like the added flavor of the fire roasted. February 22, 2013 at 10:03pm
First Dinner- April 3, 2013 | Natasha Keller: […] recipe courtesy of http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/09/grilled-chicken-caprese-pasta/ […] April 3, 2013 at 8:14pm
sara: I definitely need to make this over the weekend – looks INCREDIBLE! :) April 26, 2013 at 9:32pm
Maris: This looks so good! I’ve made a similar one with chicken sausage, spinach and penne pasta, but love anything caprese so I’ll definitely be trying this! April 26, 2013 at 9:46pm
peggy esposito: I’m making this now…what are you to do with the remaining half of basil…sprinkle on top after cooking? Guess so! May 22, 2013 at 3:46pm
Jaclyn: Yes sorry! Just added that in, thanks! May 22, 2013 at 6:06pm
Bryanne: Oh my god. I just made this (couple of variations) and its simply amazing. My partner and I can’t get enough. Have to work it off now haha July 16, 2013 at 2:24am
Jaclyn: I’m so glad you and your partner liked this Bryanne! Thanks for your comment! July 16, 2013 at 9:50am
Angela: Putting this in the oven now! What I’ve sampled so far is amazing! This will be a new favorite at my house! August 5, 2013 at 5:03pm
Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta | cupcakes and crayons: […] (original source) […] September 30, 2013 at 5:40pm
Karla: I saw this last night as i was looking for new recipes and had to try immediately! I had everything, as i normally buy fresh mozarella. Used Trader Joe’s grilled chicken strips, so it was even quicker to make! Thank you for sharing. It will defintely be made again when i have company. Made it for myself and now i’ll have leftovers to share with my uncles and for my lunch. October 6, 2013 at 7:32am
Jaclyn: I’m so glad you liked it Karla! Thanks for leaving a comment! October 14, 2013 at 7:41pm
Monica: Made this tonight and it was amazing!!! My family loved it and easy to make! October 7, 2013 at 6:05pm
Jaclyn: So happy to hear your family loved it Monica! Thanks for your comment! October 7, 2013 at 7:16pm
SueBeDoo: Question: What if you don’t live in the States so thus no access to “Fire roasted pasta sauce”? Can you substitute any tomato sauce, such as normal tomato sugo? I’d prefer not to use store bought sauces as I can normally make them better myself, with less/no preservatives. Thanks :) November 9, 2013 at 2:40am
Jaclyn: Any marinara sauce would probably work just fine. I hope you love this! November 9, 2013 at 9:15am
SueBeDoo: Thank you!! I will try it next weekend!! November 11, 2013 at 3:23am
Kathy: Awesome recipe, just surprised you used a pre-made sauce! November 10, 2013 at 8:35am
Jaclyn: Yeah normally I don’t but every now and then :). November 16, 2013 at 9:07pm
Amy: I have some fresh tagliatelle pasta and I was wondering if anyone had tried it in this dish and if it worked well. December 18, 2013 at 3:19pm
Meal Prep for Better Running | LNRB for Miles: […] Baked spaghetti. Recipe here. […] January 6, 2014 at 10:57am
Amanda: Why do all your pasta recipes look so good? ;_; My stomach is grumbling from looking at all the photos! haha. I shall bookmark this.
—
http://beginnerbites.blogspot.ca/ August 12, 2014 at 10:24pm
Angie Ellis: Hey, i have made this and its great! can I make this and freeze before baking?
thanks, Angie September 11, 2014 at 10:42am
Jaclyn: I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tried but I’m not sure how it would turn out frozen with the cream it contains? October 9, 2014 at 11:28pm
Matt B.: Wonderful recipe! Made this last night and it was a real hit. I added a little olive oil on top and topped with fresh Parmesan. June 12, 2015 at 11:58am
Julia: I love this pasta! Is this something you could assemble and then freeze before baking? Thanks! November 13, 2015 at 8:42am
Erin: Have you ever tried substituting those little mozz balls? July 24, 2016 at 6:57pm