Depth of flavor galore in this juicy baked chicken with crispy skin and tender pasta! The sauce is a mixture of melted feta cheese and crushed tomatoes, red peppers, kalamata olives, white wine, garlic, and more! You'll be sure to IMPRESS everyone with this next-level tasting recipe that's EASY to make!IMPORTANT - This isn't a difficult recipe but there are a fair amount of steps and I highly recommend reading the recipe all the way through in its entirety before beginning so you know what's next and you don't miss things. Like making sure to boil your pasta while the chicken bakes and various other nuances.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Additional Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs45 minutesmins
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: baked chicken pasta, baked feta pasta with chicken, baked pasta with chicken, chicken feta pasta, feta chicken pasta, Mediterranean chicken pasta
Servings: 4
Calories: 483kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1teaspoonchili powder
1teaspoonsmoked paprikaregular paprika may be substituted
4skin-on bone-in chicken thighs*
4 to 6tablespoonsolive oildivided
½cupwhite or yellow onionfinely diced
½of a medium red pepperseeded and diced small
1serrano chile pepperseeded and finely minced; optional**
3 to 5clovesgarlicfinely minced
Zest from 1 lemon
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
1teaspooncumin
½teaspoondried thyme
½cupreduced sodium chicken broth
½cupdry white wineoptional but recommended***
8ouncesfull fat feta cheesecubed (do not use low fat or fat free feta because it doesn't melt well)
¾cupwhole cherry or grape tomatoes2 Roma tomatoes, diced in large bite-sized pieces may be substituted
½cuppitted kalamata olivesno substitutions
8ouncesbowtie pasta****
½cupreserved pasta waterfor possible use
Fresh parsley or basilfinely minced; optional for garnishing
Instructions
Dry Rub
To a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, and stir to combine.
Score the skin side tops of the chicken thighs, making about 6 slits on each piece.
Evenly distribute the spice rub onto each of the 4 pieces of chicken, and rub it in.
Place chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if desired.
About 20 to 30 minutes before you plan to begin cooking the chicken, remove it from the fridge and allow it to sit on the counter to warm up a bit.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Searing Chicken
To a large, oven-safe, high-sided skillet, Dutch oven, or similar braising pot, add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, add the chicken skin-side down, and sear over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Tip - While the chicken is searing, don't move it, disturb it, or check on it. Just let it be. Remove it from the skillet and set aside.
Sauteing Vegetables
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional olive oil, and add the onions, red peppers, optional serranos, and saute over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes; stir frequently.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute; stir continuously.
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, chicken broth, white wine, and stir to combine. Caution - The liquids will likely bubble up and steam quite vigorously right after you add them for a second or two. Just be careful so you're not caught off guard with a facefull of very hot steam.
Baking
Add the chicken back into the skillet, and evenly sprinkle in the feta, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, place the skillet in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Tips - Start boiling your pasta (step 12) while chicken bakes! And I recommend checking the temperature with a digital thermometer. Chicken thighs are done with the meat (don't touch the bone) is at an internal temp of 175F. The temp will also continue to rise, off the heat, due to carryover cooking.
Boiling Pasta
While the chicken is baking, cook your pasta according to package directions, minus 2 minutes, because it will continue to cook more in the sauce and you don't want it to be overcooked. For example - If the directions say boil 11 minutes for al dente, you actually only need to boil it for 9 minutes.
Drain pasta but reserve 1/2 to 3/4 cup pasta water for your sauce later on should you need the pasta water. Note - I don't rinse pasta, but you can if you think it helps prevent sticking. I personally add a tablespoon of olive oil to my boiling water for anti-sticking.
After chicken has baked and is done, remove the skillet from the oven, and remove the chicken pieces and set them on a plate.
Mashing to Make the Sauce
Mash and stir together the remaining ingredients in the skillet - the feta, tomatoes, red peppers, olives, etc. I use a fork but you can use a potato masher.
Depending on how the sauce looks to you, add some pasta water. Tip - 1/2 cup should be plenty, but you can add a bit more if you think it needs it.
Assembly
Add the cooked pasta and toss to combine.
Add the chicken back in and return the skillet to the oven for 5 minutes, or until everything is nicely warmed through.
Taste the dish and if you think it needs it, add more salt, pepper, a sprinkling of red chili flakes for heat, etc.
Optionally (but recommended), garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep airtight for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 4 months in the freezer. Tip - The pasta may continue to absorb some of the sauce so it may appear you have less sauce when you open your container of leftovers. Pasta has a way of doing this. And if it happens, the pasta will be on the softer side, rather than al dente.
Notes
*I recommend using skin-on chicken thighs. I use bone-in, but you can also use boneless. While you can use chicken breasts rather than thighs, they won't be as flavorful and juicy. If you do opt for breasts rather than thighs, I definitely recommend skin-on. You can always discard it before eating if you don't like chicken skin. This skin is so crispy and delicious though! **If you want to remove any type of spiciness from this dish, then omit the serrano chile. However, the dish doesn't really read "spicy" unless you're very sensitive to spiciness; rather it's very flavorful. Serranos are spicier than jalapeno peppers. If you're unsure about including it, perhaps only include half of one serrano, seeded, and diced very finely. ***The 1/2 cup of white wine in the sauce adds such a great depth of flavor and richness to the overall dish. The alcohol content burns off in the cooking and baking process, and what you’re left with is an elegant and wonderful tasting sauce.However, if you don’t want to use wine, you can omit it. And instead use an additional 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth. I recommend using a dry white wine such as chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, or something similar. Do not use a sweet wine!****I used bowtie pasta but you can use other small shape pasta such as ziti, rotini, penne, or fusilli.You can also use long pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine. I wouldn’t use anything too thin like angel hair or capellini as it won’t stand up very well to the sauce and will get mushy.