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In this dish, we cheated a little bit by using chicken breasts that were marinated from the grocery store. Typically I would not do this, but they were from Wegmans so they just had to be good, and they were. If you don’t have a Wegmans around, I’ll see if I can unearth a good lemon marinade to post up for this recipe in the next week or so. Until then, this one is a little semi-homemade.
This dish is best made in August and September when the tomatoes are at their peak. We visited a market in Canada just north of the border which was really incredible. I was completely shocked at the depth of the market for kinda being in the middle of nowhere. The people there were extremely nice and the produce was just fantastic. We made our way around the entire market sampling as we went. Here’s a shot of one portion of the market. Reminded me just a little bit of the Marché Provençale- just a wee little bit. It was a nice feeling to be there, that’s for sure.
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Tons of fresh produce at this Farmer's Market. Photo by Scott Groth
So the key to making this dish is to let the goat cheese and the juices from the tomatoes do their work on the pasta. It’s critical that you reserve some of the pasta water- you will be amazed at just how much liquid the cooked pasta will soak up. The one thing you don’t want to have is dry pasta- trust me on this one. This recipe comes together quickly and is best served family style in shallow bowls. It’s really delicious, so just give it a shot.
Makes enough for 4 hungry people
Ingredients:
1 box penne pasta
3 cups yellow or red cherry tomatoes (or get a mix)
1/2 cup crumbled semi-soft goat cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
About 20 good sized basil leaves
3 tbsp good olive oil
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
fresh cracked pepper
4 chicken breasts, preferably lemon marinated
Start the water boiling on the stove- make sure that the water is nice and salty. It should taste like ocean water. Fire up the grill after you have the water on the stove and let the grill get good and hot. While you are waiting, slice all the cherry tomatoes in half and set aside. Mince the garlic and prepare the lemon zest. Be sure that you have cleaned the lemons really well. Don’t cut the basil until everything else is done- it should be added at the absolute last minute.
When the water is boiling, toss in the pasta and give it a quick stir. Take the chicken breasts out to the grill and cook them for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. They should be done about the same time the pasta is done. When they are cooked, bring them inside and let them rest while you are prepping the pasta.
For this recipe, you want your pasta cooked pretty well through. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta but do not run cold water over. Put the pasta pot back on the burner and turn to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and salt. Stir for 1 additional minute. Remove from the heat and toss the pasta back in the pot. Add the goat cheese crumbles and lemon zest. Stir. If the pasta looks dry, add in the pasta water in quarter cup increments while stirring until it looks as though the pasta has a light coating on it. Adjust seasoning to taste. When it tastes right, move the pasta to a serving bowl.
Slice the chicken into rough strips. Chiffonade the basil quickly and mix into the pasta with a couple stirs. Lay the chicken strips on top of the pasta and serve family style. This is light and tastes fresh. You can lighten the dish by using whole wheat pasta or other types of pasta (for example Soba noodles would be great). I like this recipe simply because it shows you don’t need to have tons of oil or fat to make a dish taste great. I hope that you guys enjoy it as well.
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Family style is the only way to serve this meal. Photo by Scott Groth