FCD: Mediterranean Chicken & Prawn Pasta with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, Basil & Parsley

Aug 17

2 min read

A light, summery pasta with juicy chicken, sweet prawns, roasted Mediterranean vegetables and a fresh lemon-herb finish.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

From the freezer

2 chicken breasts (or 4 boneless chicken thighs), cut into bite-sized pieces
100–150g cooked prawns (or raw prawns, thawed if frozen)
300g frozen Mediterranean vegetables
400g frozen tomatoes (or 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes)
4–6 frozen cloves roasted garlic (or 2 fresh cloves, finely chopped)
150ml frozen white wine
Frozen zest of ½ lemon
Frozen juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp chopped frozen parsley
Small handful of frozen basil, roughly torn or chopped
30–40g grated frozen Parmesan

From the pantry

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano (optional, but lovely)
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste

To serve

250–300g pasta (linguine, tagliatelle, penne or rigatoni all work well)

Method

1. Cook the chicken

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken lightly with black pepper (go easy on the salt - you'll be adding Parmesan later).

Cook for 5–7 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly golden.

2. Build the sauce

Add the Mediterranean vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, until they've softened and any excess moisture has evaporated. Stir in the roasted garlic (crushed) and oregano (if using).

Pour in the white wine and let it bubble away for 2–3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the chicken is cooked through.

3. Cook the pasta

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta until al dente. Before draining, reserve a mug of the pasta cooking water.

4. Add the prawns

Stir the prawns into the sauce during the final 2–3 minutes of cooking until hot throughout.

5. Bring everything together

Add the drained pasta to the sauce. Toss well, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce needs loosening. Remove the pan from the heat.

Stir through: