Baked Chicken Pastina

Every month I like to try out at least 1 new recipe, and this month one recipe I decided to try, was this dish, "Baked Chicken Pastina". I got this recipe while watching Giada De Laurentis on the Food Network, and I knew as soon as I saw the ingredients: pasta and tomatoes, this was a dish for me =) Not only did it come out right, but it was delicious. Even better, it only took me a little over a half hour to make! .... And I did get a picture ;) Now I did add a little here and there, but for the most part, I didn't go far from the original, so here it is. Yum!

Baked Chicken Pastina

Ingredients

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes) ... (or 2 boneless breasts)
  
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 Tsp. dried flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. freshly chopped oregano (I added this ingredient, simply because I love fresh oregano)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I used a little more =)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 8-9 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter (I like to cut it into small cubes and then evenly layer it on top). Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Garnish with another sprinkle of fresh oregano and enjoy.

Serves 4 as an entree