One-Pot Burst Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Chicken Thighs
Busy weeknights call for one-pot dinners, and this hits the spot! Not only is it easy, but it's so flavorful and fresh. This One-Pot Burst Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Chicken Thighs is exactly that kind of meal: simple, rustic, and packed with flavor. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll come back to when you want big flavor without the pile of dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tsp salt or more to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper or more to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1 large zucchini cut into quarter pieces about 1/2-inch thick
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ⅓ cup fresh chopped basil
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb rotini or other short-cut pasta
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter on medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place the chicken thighs, smooth side down, into the Dutch oven and brown for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for about 5 minutes more, or until the chicken is just about cooked through. Remove them from the Dutch oven and place them on a plate, tented with foil.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil, then the tomatoes and shallots. Cook until the skins start blistering on the tomatoes, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the zucchini and garlic; cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt to taste.
- Pour in the white wine and reduce to about 3/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and Italian seasoning.
- Pour in the chicken broth, cover, and allow it to come to a rapid simmer over high heat. Once it starts to simmer, stir in the pasta and basil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the pasta is al dente and the liquid has mostly reduced, but still has enough for the sauce, about 15-17 minutes.
- During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the chicken thighs on top of the pasta and the juices that accumulated with it, then cover and allow them to cook until the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 170F.
- Uncover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour in the heavy cream, then stir in the parmesan. Let it gently simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Once the sauce coats the back of a spoon, it's ready.
- Serve immediately, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat, add a splash of milk and microwave it, stirring in between to keep the sauce from splitting.
What to Serve This With: This is a complete meal. However, you can serve a light salad or garlic bread on the side to scoop up the sauce from your plate.
Variations:
- Use shells, mafalde, penne, or rigatoni in place of the rotini.
- Swap the grape tomatoes for cherry tomatoes.
- Instead of zucchini, use yellow squash. yellow zucchini, or mushrooms. Anything that will hold its shape works. Broccoli tastes amazing in anything creamy.
- Omit the heavy cream if you want a lighter sauce.
- For this recipe, I recommend a medium-bodied red wine like the Chianti. Its high acidity matches the tomatoes, and it cuts through the cream so it doesn't feel as rich.
- If you're set on a white wine, then I suggest a lightly oaked Chardonnay. The creaminess in the wine mirrors the sauce, while the acidity keeps it from getting too heavy.
- For Non-Alcoholic Options: A sparkling lemonade works so well here. It helps cut the richness of the cream sauce. White grape juice is another great option. Try a lightly sweetened iced peach tea.