Whole Grain Rotini with Balsamic Chicken & Sun Dried Tomatoes
This is a quick and easy dish packed with flavor and it is versatile enough to serve with a variety of pasta noodles, if you dont have Rotini on hand. I like to serve it with my Zesty Garlic Cheese Bread on the side.
This is a quick and easy dish packed with flavor and it is versatile enough to serve with a variety of pasta noodles, if you dont have Rotini on hand. I like to serve it with my Zesty Garlic Cheese Bread on the side.
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 chicken breast skinless, boneless
- 3 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup black olives halved
- Carbohydrate 18.9783825 g
- Cholesterol 138.255 mg
- Fat 19.72361625 g
- Fiber 3.93478754806519 g
- Protein 59.22778125 g
- Saturated Fat 3.279435625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (316g)
- Sodium 924.83871875 mg
- Sugar 15.0435949519348 g
- Trans Fat 1.50103775 g
- Calories 490 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix 1st 10 ingredients together to make a marinade for the chicken. Pour over chicken in a shallow baking dish and marinate for 2-3 hours.
- After marinating, preheat oven to 350 deg F. Tilt baking dish over and pour excess marinade into a small saucepan and set aside on the stove. This will later be cooked further to make your sauce for the dish.
- Bake chicken in oven for 30-35 minutes or until juices are running clear. Watch chicken carefully, so as to not overcook and dry out. They should be nice and juicy. (Time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts). Once you think they are almost done, turn oven off bake setting and switch to broil for 3-5 minutes to get a slight caramelization on them. Remove from oven and let chicken rest for a couple minutes.
- While chicken is resting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. Once rested, cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
- While pasta is cooking, bring reserved marinade in the small saucepan to a boil to make a sauce. Then reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer for 8-10 minutes while stirring often. Towards the end of the cooking time, add 1 more TBS of granulated sugar to the sauce.
- Toss chicken, pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and sauce together. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.
Acid and Fat Emulsification
Recipes rarely explain why certain liquids bond. Balsamic vinegar contains acetic acid. Olive oil provides lipids. Dijon mustard contains mucilage in its seed coats that acts as a natural surfactant. Whisking these elements together suspends oil droplets in vinegar. This creates a stable emulsion that clings to the chicken during the two to three hour marinade window.
Maillard Reactions and Sugar Additions
Proteins and reducing sugars brown when exposed to dry heat above 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Baking boneless breasts at 350 degrees cooks the meat internally while the surface dries slightly. Switching the oven to broil for three to five minutes accelerates surface browning via the Maillard reaction. Boiling the reserved marinade in a saucepan reduces the liquid. Adding granulated sugar near the end of the eight to ten minute simmer balances the acetic acid of the vinegar.
Pasta Architecture and Add-Ins
Whole grain pasta requires vigorous boiling water to hydrate the bran layers. Extruded rotini features helical grooves that trap particulate matter. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes and halved black olives lodge inside these spirals. Parmesan cheese contributes free amino acids that enhance savory perception when tossed with the hot ingredients.
