Mediterranean Chicken Pasta

 

I'm not sure why or how we decide that a dish becomes of "Mediterranean"  decent. It has always baffled me, and actually made me mock those that do so. Just because a dish has some lemon, artichokes and olives, immediately it's "Mediterranean." Well such is the case, though I tried to avoid the usage of said word in the title, but Lemon Chicken Pasta, or Feta Chicken Pasta isn't really what the dish is. So here it is; 

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless Chicken Breast, diced

1/2 lb Rotini pasta, or whatever you have on hand (Penne works great too!)

Dash of salt

Dash of Lemon Pepper

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

1 15oz can Artichoke Hearts, drained and quarrted

1 15oz can diced Tomatoes, undrained

1 4oz can Black Olives, sliced (not pictured, b/c I HATE olives)

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/3 cup Onion, diced

1 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Heavy Cream, Half n Half, or Milk for thinning
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1 Lemon

Directions:
Prepare the water for the noodles.Cook the noodles according to package directions. In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Swirl to coat pan. When melted, add the chicken. Season with salt,  lemon pepper, and cayenne pepper. Continue cooking the chicken, tossing to cook all sides. Add the onion and garlic. Cook 3 min.
Turn heat to low, add in the artichokes and tomatoes and olives. Gently toss to mix well. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the mixture. Begin adding the cream/milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. (You want it to be thick enough to cling to the pasta, but not too thin that it is soupy.) Add in the feta, stir around. Let simmer for 5 min or until heated through. Serve over hot pasta and squeeze extra lemon over dish. Top with feta.