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This pasta puttanesca is full of bold flavors and is ready in less than 30 minutes, the perfect dinner for a busy weeknight!
When I’m looking for an easy yet delicious meal, I often turn to pasta. My family happens to love olives, so I often make a quick and easy pasta puttanesca and top it with chicken for added protein. It’s a dinner I know everyone will devour!
Let’s talk about the chicken first. I use thin cut chicken breasts, and I either grill or pan sear the chicken, depending on my mood and the weather. You could really use any kind of cooked chicken breast, even sliced rotisserie chicken breast would work here!
I take a shortcut for the sauce and start with a jar of prepared marinara sauce. The sauce gets enhanced with onion, garlic, capers, olives and fresh basil. There is one secret ingredient here, and that is anchovy paste. Anchovy paste in this pasta does not actually taste fishy, it just adds an extra dimension of savory flavor. If you’re totally against anchovies, it’s fine to leave it out, the pasta will still be delicious. I’ve listed the anchovy pasta as optional in the ingredients so that you can decide which way you’d like it!
I like to use black kalamata olives for this pasta puttanesca. While a black olive is traditional, I’ve also made this dish with green olives with good results.
To prepare this dish, I cook the chicken while the pasta water comes to a boil. While the pasta is cooking, I prepare the sauce. Then I put it all together and serve! This dish is really a complete meal on its own, but on occasion I add a side salad or some garlic bread if we’re especially hungry.
This pasta puttanesca with chicken is the perfect way to have a hearty and flavorful meal in no time!
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