I made this Mediterranean Chicken and Penne Pasta for dinner Saturday night. It's a real keeper as far as I'm concerned. Both Rod and I really enjoyed it, which doesn't happen all the time.
Especially, when the recipe involves tomatoes, olives and feta cheese—ingredients I love, but Rod, not so much.
Recipe Notes
Served with a simple green salad, this Mediterranean chicken and pasta was as tasty as it was easy.
I found the recipe as I was flipping through Southern Living: Our Readers Top-Rated Recipes (affiliate link), a winner of a cookbook that I don't use nearly enough.
I was looking for a quick and easy dinner idea that would taste great and wouldn't require a trip to the grocery store.
Boy, did this Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta deliver!
I made a few modifications to the recipe to accommodate our tastes. The recipe suggests that you add the feta at the end, cover and let it stand for a few minutes. This would be delicious if you like feta cheese. Rod doesn't. So, I left it out and served it at the table, as a garnish, instead.
I also used an extra can of diced tomatoes since I like my pasta dishes really saucy. Next time I think I'll use one can of tomatoes and a can of artichoke hearts (drained and roughly chopped.)
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Pasta Dish?
According to my calculations, each serving (⅙th of recipe) has about 333 calories and:
6 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
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Mediterranean Chicken & Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅔ cup feta cheese
- 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for cooking the pasta.
- While you are waiting for the pasta water to boil, put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is done, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the tomatoes, olives and herbs to the skillet. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for about 8 to 10 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
- While the sauce simmers and once the pasta water comes to a boil, slowly add a big handful of salt to the boiling water and then cook the pasta according to the package instructions. When it is done, drain.
- Once the sauce has simmered for about 8 to 10 minutes and thickened up, return the chicken to the skillet, stirring to combine. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and remove from the heat.
- Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately over the pasta (or stir the pasta into the chicken mixture and then serve).
Equipment
Recipe Notes
Recipe Source: Southern Living: Our Readers Top-Rated Recipes (affiliate link)
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
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Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
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Renay
I baked some boneless skinless chicken breasts and I put on top parsley garlic powder and black pepper and drizzled the breasts with V - 8 Vegetable Juice baked in a 350 degree oven for about an hour and 15 minutes then I shredded the chicken added some peeled sliced carrots and some diced up red bell pepper and a can of diced tomatoes with green Jalepeno pepper in it and two cloves of chopped of fresh garlic and I added some Non Fat College Inn Chicken Broth and a can of white Kidney beans now in two cups how many smart points should I write down for eating what I made ????
Tess
What is the serving size?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Tess, 1/6th of the recipe. I don't have a more specific serving amount. Sorry about that!
Marge
A wonderful go-to recipe; especially with Mediterranean diets now being so popular! An easy and truly delicious combination of some of my favorite ingredients!
Carol
Delicious!! I used leftover grilled chicken and topped with a sprinkle of chili flakes for a little heat. Never thought to use feta on pasta, but it works!
Lisa
How do you easily add this to the WW app and have it track 2 pts for the purple plan?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Lisa, you can use the "Quick Add" feature in the WW app. Here's a link to locating the feature on various devices: https://foundations.weightwatchers.com/help/article/5910bae6660b23005a65227b-en_US/how-do-i-find-quick-add?keywords=bre
Kathy Oren
We both loved this! Thanks for the tips I used them! I'm always looking for something different for dinner and this was easy! Thank You!
Debra
My husband and I both enjoyed this dish. My husband suggested we add mushrooms next time. I'm glad to have another chicken dish that we like.