FIrst time I made this it was very bland and didn't have too much sauce to cover the pasta. Second time it was amazing, I made a few revisions. I used marinated artichoke hearts (this is VERY important if you want good flavor) and cooked the garlic and onion in a mix of olive oil and some of the marinade from the artichokes. No butter, didn't need it. I added a six ounce can of tomato paste so there was a good amount of sauce and I used a full cup of feta. I added half the feta when the recipe calls for it, then right before serving I sprinkled the other half on top, covered the pan and let the cheese melt a bit. Second time around the recipe was delicious!
This was so good! The suggestions from other cooks made the recipe perfect! Less pasta is better and using crushed or diced can of tomoatoes instead of a tomato makes it more saucy and less dry. Marinated artichoke hearts and lemon zest added great flavor too. I always use a mixture of olive oil and butter for cooking. A keeper in our recipe box!
My family loved this! They said it tasted like something you might order at The Olive Garden, but even better! The artichokes really add something special to this dish.
This recipe is supposed to serve 4, but the three of us all had two helpings, and there was enough leftover for at least two more.
I made a few changes to the recipe, per several other reviews:
1. I used a whole 10 oz container of fresh cherry tomatoes (chopped in half). I don't think anyone else suggested this, but they went very well with this dish.
2. I went just a little bit heavier on the spices.
3. I used about 12 ounces of pasta, which is less than the recipe calls for but still plenty.
4. I flavored the chicken with salt, pepper and oregano and sauteed it in a mixture of olive oil and butter. REALLY good!
5. I added about 1/4 cup of heavy cream (per the suggestion of SEVERAL other reviews) right at the end so that the dish didn't turn out too dry. Delicious!
Just make sure you have some extra feta cheese to crumble on top at the table.
I made this for dinner on Saturday evening. My husband and I enjoyed it. I did use Marinated Artichoke hearts and used some of the marinade when browning the chicken. It was just OK that night. We had A LOT left over, so we ended up eating it again on Sunday afternoon. I decided to make more sauce as I thought the pasta was a little dry. I used some chicken broth, 2 pats of butter and a splash of heavy cream. I then dumped in the left overs....WOW! Totally great that way. When I make this again, I will make a light cream sauce...it coated the pasta and tasted like it came from an expensive italian restaurant. My daughter and husband (and me!!!) loved it!!!!
I guess to start I will rate this recipe after following suggestions from other reviews...DELICIOUS! I must thank the first person who decided to use marinated artichoke hearts. I think that's the flavor that carries throughout the entire recipe. I used 12 ounces pasta, 1 cup onions, extra garlic, 16 ounce can diced tomatoes drained, 1 cup feta, extra lemon juice, plus zest. Be warned that there is a lot of prep because everything goes in at once, but it is worth the effort.
Awesome - agree with other readers: use 1/2 as much pasta; use marinated artichoke hearts; use ~16 oz. diced marinated toms; DO NOT leave out the lemon
LOVIN THIS PASTA!!!!!!!! There was a lot of chopping involved but it was so worth it. I love garlic so I used about double what the recipe calls for I also fallowed a few other tips from other reviews. Not as much pasta as called for use olive oil instead of butter and use twice the amount of fetta adding 1/2 when the recipe calls for it and the other 1/2 on top in the serving dish. Next time I will use fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest. I will definately be makeing this time and time again...Rachel
I cubed my chicken up & then put it in a big baggie w/ a little olive oil oregano a tad bit of lemon juice & some of the marinade from the jar of marinaded artichoke hearts I used & let it marinade for a couple of hours. I also added a bit more marinade as well as about 1/4 cup of pinot grigio when I sauteed the chicken. The chicken pieces had lots of flavor & I am glad I made extra to use in another dish. I cut the pasta in half & then still didn't add all the pasta to the mix. I did do as suggested by reviewers & use a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh & I used a 6 oz. can of marinaded artichoke hearts. I only had a half a cup of feta but I wish I had had some more to sprinkle on top. I served this w/ My Own Famous Stuffed Grape Leaves (from this site) as an appetizer & made Greek Honey Cake (also from this site) for dessert. This was pretty good but I don't think the flavor combos suited my hubby & I...not sure if I'll make it again but thanks for letting me try it!
Delicous combination of flavors but I thought a bit too much penne for the amount of chicken. I would reduce the penne by 1/4 to 1/3.
