Chicken Breast and Spaghetti with Asparagus, Garlic and Olive Oil

Chicken Breast and Spaghetti with Asparagus, Garlic and Olive Oil

Baked Chicken Breast and Spaghetti with Asparagus, Garlic and Oliive Oil

I love pasta and aside from chocolate, it is my greatest weakness. I think I was Italian in a past life if such a thing exists. Baked Chicken Breasts are amazing when cooked correctly, and are juicy and not dry. I searched Pinterest for a recipe and came across one from Gimme Some Oven (link below), and adapted the recipe but I made my own spice rub. This recipe calls for a simple 15 minute brine and it made a big difference in terms of keeping the chicken moist. I steamed the asparagus and tossed it with the spaghetti, garlic and olive oil (in Italian: Spaghetti aglio e olio). It was a very satisfying, tasty and hearty dish. Recipe follows below.

Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Olive Oil

Coarse Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

Sophia's Spice Rub Concoction:
1 teaspoon of each:
Coarse Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Cumin, Cilantro Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, and Mexican Oregano.

Look at that beautiful chicken breast

Directions
Brine Chicken Breasts
Fill a large bowl with warm water, add salt and then add the chicken breasts. Let them sit in the warm water brine for 15 minutes.

Remove and rinse chicken breasts with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush chicken breasts with olive oil on both sides and place in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Rub spice mixture on both sides.

Bake for 30 minutes turning after 15 minutes.

Thermometer should read 160-170 degrees.

Take out from oven and let chicken rest for 5 minutes, and serve with spaghetti.

Asparagus
Ingredients
Asparagus

Coarse Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

Directions
Cut ends of Asparagus and each asparagus into 2 pieces.

In a steamer, fill bottom with water and bring to a boil.

Add asparagus and steam for 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add immediately to cooked spaghetti.

Garlic and Olive Oil

Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil (Spaghetti aglio e olio)
Ingredients
1 lb Spaghetti (Barilla)

1 teaspoon + 1⁄2 cup Olive Oil

6-8 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

Bunch fresh Parsley, roughly chopped

Coarse Salt

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions
On high heat, bring a large pot of water to boil.

Add coarse salt.

Add 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Add the spaghetti and cook to Al Dente, according to box directions.

While spaghetti is cooking, add olive oil to a skillet on medium heat.

Add thinly sliced garlic, and heat until garlic turns golden. Be sure to not burn the garlic.

Remove from heat. Take out garlic or leave some in if you want.

Before draining spaghetti, reserve about 3/4 cup of starchy pasta water.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add reserved pasta water, garlic oil and stir.

Add asparagus and grated Parmesan cheese and combine.

Add more Parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkle parsley. Serve with chicken breast.

For the Chicken Breast recipe, please visit Gimme Some Oven:
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-chicken-breast/

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys