Chicken and Zucchini Skillet Pasta
Have you ever gotten home from work and started looking around your kitchen for something quick and easy to cook only to become discouraged when you realized ‘quick’ and ‘easy’ might translate to cereal or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? I have. My Chicken and Zucchini Skillet Pasta recipe is one created especially for those long days when you want a little something fancy but cooking it seems like too much trouble.
Perfect for the cook-on-the-go, this dish can be created using one pan in under 20 minutes. Stuffed full of my favorite summer-inspired vegetables and delicious Italian chicken sausage, the pasta tastes fresh and healthy without sacrificing an ounce of flavor. Basil and lemon provide all the kick you need for a light but scrumptious sauce.
As I said, this recipe utilizes some of my favorite summer veggies. Yours might be different, and that’s totally fine! Swap out the zucchini for other vegetables that you might prefer, whether that’s broccoli or asparagus. The Italian chicken sausage can also be substituted. Ground Italian sausage would be a great swap, though I recommend rolling the ground meat into small meatballs and lightly frying them before throwing them in. Farfalle pasta can be swapped for any small pasta noodle you have available.
Want to make your own Chicken and Zucchini Skillet Pasta? Here’s what you need:
♦ 12 ounces Italian chicken sausage
♦ 8 ounces farfalle (bowtie) pasta
♦ 4 cups chicken broth
♦ 2 cups zucchini, chopped
♦ 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
♦ 1 cup onion, diced
♦ 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
♦ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
♦ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
♦ 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
♦ 1 teaspoon olive oil
♦ 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
♦ 1/2 teaspoon salt
Here’s how you make it:
1. Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Once hot, add in the chicken sausages and onion. Cook until the sausages are brown and the onion is tender and translucent. Lightly season with salt, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for another minute or until fragrant.
2. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet with the sausage and onion mixture, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add in the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender.
3. Add in the chopped zucchini. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed into the pasta.
4. Stir in the lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and the halved grape tomatoes.
5. Once combined, remove the skillet from the heat and top with the fresh basil and remaining tablespoon of cheese. Serve and enjoy!