Healthy Chicken & Pasta Bowl

Healthy Chicken & Pasta Bowl

This meal is great when you don't have a lot of time to make dinner but want to make it look like you did! This healthy chicken and pasta bowl is so easy to throw together. It's a great meal for those times when you crave something hearty but want to keep it healthy at the same time. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked by the rotisserie chickens at the grocery store and grabbed one just for this reason. Hearty and healthy is a win-win in my book. And lets talk rotisserie chickens. I love rotisseries not only for the price, but they are also so flavorful and juicy. On a side note, leftover chicken is delicious in homemade soup, shredded buffalo chicken wraps or chicken salads.

Flavorful and Healthy

One of my favorite things about this meal is how many flavors it has. It has savory flavors drawn from the vegetables and chicken while the sundried tomatoes offer sweetness to the dish. Sundried tomatoes help give this meal it's zing. I LOVE sundried tomatoes but my husband is not a huge fan. This is lucky for me because I end up with his so double sundried tomatoes for me. My favorite brand of sundried tomatoes is Bella Sun Luci purchased at Costco. The price is great but the taste is even better. Not only does this meal tastes amazing, it is also filled with protein, healthy carbs and vitamins that will fuel your body with nutritious ingredients. If you follow this page you know by now how much I value food that fuels our body. When I talk about fueling the body, many things come to mind. I think about healthy carbs that  provide us with energy, food that includes lean protein for our muscles and vitamins to help build our immune system. This meal is even better the second day to heat up quickly for lunch or enjoy for a second dinner. This meal is also great for a dish to pass or serve to guests.      

• Difficulty: Easy
• Category: Dinner, Lunch
• Cuisine: American, Italian

Ingredients

• 2 cup protein pasta (I use angel hair or rotini)
• rotisserie chicken (or 3-4 grilled chicken breasts)
• cup spinach
• cup mushrooms (sliced bellas)
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 14-20 basil leaves
• 6-8 oz artichoke hearts

Instructions

1. Prepare your chicken breasts (I enjoy either rotisserie or grilled) and keep warm while preparing the next steps.
2. Cook pasta according to instructions.
3. While pasta is cooking, in large deep sided pan, add olive oil and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients and continue to cook until spinach and mushrooms cook down and become soft.
5. Mix pasta in with pan of vegetables. If you are using rotisserie chicken, feel free to shred the chicken and stir it into mixture. If you are using grilled chicken, I like to slice this at an angle.