Greek Chicken Pasta

Here's a fast, healthy, and flavorful weeknight dinner fix. It's not fancy, but it's substantial. And easy. Boil some pasta (I'm declaring this step optional- instead you could serve it inside oven-warmed whole wheat pitas or tossed with a Mediterranean grain such as couscous). Saute some onion, garlic, and chicken (just until cooked through- no chewy meat here, please). Toss with chopped artichoke hearts, tomatoes, crumbled feta, fresh parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano (and anything else Greek you want to include- olives, perhaps?). Like I said, simple. And still tastes good straight from the fridge on day three!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 (14 oz.) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained (liquid reserved) and chopped
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cup feta, crumbled
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions until al dente; drain. (Rinse with cold water to prevent the pasta from sticking together.)

2. Preheat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the artichoke hearts, tomato, feta (reserving some to sprinkle on top when serving), parsley, lemon juice, oregano and cooked pasta. Stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add more olive oil (or reserved oil from the marinated artichokes) to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Serves 4-6.

(Adapted from All Recipes)