Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Creamy Tomato Orecchiette Pasta

There was a serious sale on chicken a few weeks back and I went crazy. I bought about 5 pounds. And since I am the only one living here that eats chicken, or any meat at all, I froze each piece of chicken individually. Perfect for dinners for 1.

Did I mention I got a food processor for my birthday? Well, I did. And life hasn’t been the same. I made my own fresh breadcrumbs tonight. I took a slice of Nature’s Pride Honey Wheat and broke it up into pieces, threw it in and pulsed a few times. Oh, how exciting. And I did the same with my parmesan cheese because I wanted grated and all I had was shredded. Fancy. Big things are happening here.

It took me a while to figure out how to spell “Orecchiette” without looking at the box. This shape of pasta is great for catching sauce. Creamy Tomato sauce. So yum and so simple.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken (for one)

• 1 chicken breast, pounded thin
• 1/4 slice bread, processed into crumbs
• 1-2 TBSP grated parmesan
• Egg white
• Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 450. Dip chicken in egg white then dredge in bread crumbs mixed with parmesan. Spray both sides with cooking spray. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until done (depends on thickness of chicken).

Creamy Tomato Orecchiette Pasta (for one)

• 1/3 cup uncooked pasta (cooked according to package directions)
• 1/3 cup tomato sauce
• 2 TBSP whipped light cream cheese
• 1 TSP dried basil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Warm tomato sauce on stovetop. Put sauce into food processor with cream cheese and pulse until completely mixed. Pour sauce into pan with cooked pasta and mix. Enjoy.

This meal had ALL of the taste of something that took a lot longer but didn’t take much time at all. And the chicken is perfect for soaking up every last bite of the creamy tomato sauce.

*Thank you to everyone that has voted for my recipe over at the Marx Foods blog. I really appreciate it! If you would still like to vote, please do!! The poll is open until Monday 11/15. Vote here.*