Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Chicken, and Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Chicken, and Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce uses simple everyday ingredients yet it tastes like a restaurant-quality dinner. This summer dish is vibrant, colorful, and packed with fresh flavors! There is no cream and no cheese which makes this spaghetti recipe a perfect choice as light comfort food you can make any day of the week.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keyword pasta with cherry tomatoes, pasta with roasted tomatoes, spaghetti with cherry tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Spread on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, without overcrowding.
Roast for about 20 minutes while you prepare the pasta.
Cook pasta
Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain.
Chicken
This recipe uses 1.2 lb of chicken breasts which usually means 2 chicken breasts. Season them with salt, smoked paprika, and Italian seasoning.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet until hot. Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes per each side until it's cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate. Slice it thinly.
To the same skillet, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, and butter, and cook for a couple of minutes on low-medium heat to soften the garlic. Remove from heat.
Assembly
Add cooked and drained pasta to the same skillet with lemon garlic butter sauce. Mix everything well.
Top the pasta with cooked sliced chicken and roasted tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Top with chopped fresh basil and toasted pine nuts.
Notes
Toast the pine nuts in the preheated oven at 350 F for only 5 minutes. Watch the oven carefully - the nuts can burn quickly.
Use only freshly squeezed lemon juice. Squeeze half a lemon or a whole lemon (depending on your taste and the size of the lemon). The Meyer lemon works the best! If using bottled lemon juice, you will probably have to use less than indicated in the recipe as bottled lemon juice is usually more acidic.