Spaghetti with Chicken and Grape Tomatoes, a pasta inspired by the abundance of tomatoes and basil in my garden this year.
Spaghetti with Chicken and Tomatoes
Each summer, I plant every variety of tomatoes, including grape tomatoes. Grape tomatoes are always the first to grow and ripen. Since I usually wind up with more than I can eat in salads, I like to create new recipes with them. Adding them to pasta is one of my favorite ways to cook them. This is also a great way to use chicken breasts in a flavorful way. Some other recipes with grape tomatoes you make like are Spiralized Zucchini and Grape Tomatoes, Angel Hair Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes, and Sheet Pan Shrimp with Broccolini and Tomatoes.
This tomato basil chicken pasta recipe is bursting with flavor and is pretty easy to make. When you use in-season produce, you don’t need many extra ingredients. The only ingredients in the sauce are the fresh tomatoes, sautéed with garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. I top it with fresh basil at the end.
Are cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes the same?
Cherry and grape tomatoes are similar bite-sized tomatoes, but they do have their differences. Grape tomatoes are oval like a grape with a thicker skin than cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are rounder like a cherry, juicier, and sweeter. You can easily switch out the grape tomatoes with cherry tomatoes if that’s what you have. Tomatoes are the best in the summer, so they’ll both be delicious in this chicken pasta.
Spaghetti Variations:
- Use shrimp instead of chicken breast.
- Add extra vegetables, like spinach, onions, or mushrooms.
- Sub cherry tomatoes for grape tomatoes.
- If you’d like some heat, season with red pepper flakes.
- Swap the spaghetti for angel hair or use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash for a low-carb alternative.
More Spaghetti Recipes You’ll Love:
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Spaghetti with Butternut Leek Parmesan Sauce
- Spaghetti Carbonara
- One Pot Spaghetti Puttanesca
- Meatball and Spaghetti Soup
Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb) diced in 1 inch cubes
- cooking spray
- 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and dried basil
- kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 8 oz spaghetti gluten-free or whole wheat
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 6 cloves garlic smashed and coarsely chopped
- 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, oregano and basil.
- Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, spray with oil and add chicken. Cook about 3-4 minutes, until no longer pink.
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- While pasta cooks, add olive oil to skillet on high heat.
- Add garlic and sauté until golden brown (do not burn). Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté about 4-5 minutes.
- When pasta is drained, add pasta to tomatoes and toss well. If pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.
- Add fresh basil and chicken and toss well. Serve and top with good grated cheese.
Thank you for showing sodium content. Too often people do not include this. Your recipes are my favorites. Loved this one. Thank you.
This was such a great recipe! Add salt where you need and crushed red pepper. I marinated my chicken in an Italian marinade as well which was good. Pasta water is very important!Â
Made this recipe as is with grape tomatoes and basil from my garden. Sooooo good! Husband was lured with “something smelling wonderful from the kitchen.” Added some buttered crunchy bread. Thanks Gina for another easy and delish recipe….looking forward to the leftover meal.
Perfect!!
Just found this recipe and so I glad I did! So easy, delicious and not too many calories since we’re watching our weights. Will definitely be making quite often!
Made this last night. I used cooked rotisserie chicken and added the dry basil and oregano when I added the tomatoes. Quick, easy, and yummy!
I’m a bit confused about the serving size. What is 11/2? Sorry not a math person. I’m super excited to make this though. Can you advise?
its 1 1/2 cups
Thoughts on freezing this? Mine was yummy. I did add more seasoning and I tripled the recipe for a crowd, but I have too many left overs.
Loved this! Even my (slightly picky) husband couldn’t get enough of it! So easy and delicious. This will definitely become a staple in our house.
Can I use salmon in this recipe instead of chicken or shrimp? And make a day ahead of time?
Sure!
This was delicious. I added Celery to mine to use up what I had. My husband and I loved it. It was added to our rotation.
Nice, light, and easy pasta dish! Perfect for a weekend night dinner.
We found this recipe fresh and easy to make, but the result was a bit bland. Definitely needed salt. Overall, we’d make it again.