Chicken & Cherry Tomato Pasta

We have been on a pasta kick lately! I adapted this from one of my favorite cookbooks, Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford. You can check out her blog on www.alexandracooks.com. This recipe was a little bit of a refrigerator challenge recipe because I used stuff I had on hand to throw it together. I had leftover grilled chicken and cherry tomatoes that were about to go bad so it seemed like a good idea to make a pasta out of those ingredients. I have also been loving this organic whole wheat sourdough pasta from Bionaturae. It is delicious, made from organic, heirloom wheat, has the benefits of sourdough, and taste/ very close to regular store bought organic whole wheat penne pasta from Whole Foods that we also like. A flavorful sauce keeps my family from complaining about the pasta being whole wheat. I hope you like this one!

Chicken & Cherry Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 pound grilled chicken, chopped
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes
• 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta or 16 ounces Bionaturae whole wheat sourdough pasta (our current favorite pasta)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup plain whole wheat sourdough bread crumbs (I blend my small or slightly stale pieces of wheat sourdough bread really fine and store them in a freezer in a bag – they work great for this)
• 12 tablespoons salted butter
• 4 garlic cloves or 2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme, or 4 sprigs thyme
• 8 tablespoons good sour cream like Kaluna Supernatural or creme fraiche
• 1 cup white wine or chicken broth
• 2-4 tablespoons dried basil or 1 cup chopped fresh basil (more to taste)
• course Celtic sea salt to taste
• ground pepper to taste

Directions

Boil pasta according to package directions and set aside.

In a large sauté pan, add olive oil and let heat on medium. Once slightly heated, add bread crumbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let toast for about 5-7 minutes, mixing and stirring periodically so they don’t burn. Once they are golden brown and crispy, they are done. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large pan (I am loving my 4.5 quart Caraway sauté pan for pasta), melt butter over low heat.

Add garlic and thyme and cook for a few minutes.

Add the sour cream (or creme fraiche) and wine or chicken broth, increase heat and bring to a simmer. Mix well.

Once sauce is mixed well, add the chicken, cherry tomatoes and basil.

Add pasta to the sauce and mix to coat.

Add the toasted bread crumbs and mix well.

Adjust seasonings by adding basil, thyme or salt and pepper.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!