Chicken Feta Pasta is truly perfection (that and Cacio e Pepe). Here's another one of my favorite "throw it together / empty out the fridge" meals like my Cheesy Kale Pasta or Sun Dried Tomato and Kale Pasta!
Chicken Feta Pasta at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 30 minutes (5 min prep + 25 min cook)
- 👪 Servings: 4
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: Italian / Weeknight Dinner
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Bright tomato sauce, creamy melted feta, garlic-forward, with bucatini for chew and fresh basil to finish
- 📖 Dietary Info: Contains poultry (chicken), dairy (feta), and gluten (pasta); easily made gluten-free with GF pasta
- 📦 Storage Notes: Refrigerate covered for 3–4 days; reheat over medium with a splash of pasta water or broth to loosen; freezing not recommended (feta breaks)
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: A creamy-tomato pasta that comes together in 30 minutes. Crispy seared chicken, melted feta sauce, and bucatini with a garlicky tomato base. The kind of meal that feels indulgent on a Tuesday.
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Why I Love This Recipe
This crazy easy Chicken Feta Pasta comes together in just about no time. A base of TONS of garlic, canned tomatoes, sautéed chicken and tons of feta mixed with perfectly al dente bucatini gets dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. (side note - also excellent with shrimp but that wont need as long to cook as chicken FYI)
This combo of flavors in my Chicken Feta Pasta is a true crowd pleasure and I can guarantee that it'll be a staple in your house for years to come!
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Substitutions & Swaps
🍗 Chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs - Juicier, cube the same way, cook 2 minutes longer
- Rotisserie chicken - Skip the sear, shred and add to the sauce in step 2
- Italian sausage - Brown crumbled, drain, return to the pan with the garlic
- White beans - Vegetarian swap, use one can drained instead of chicken
🧀 Feta
- Goat cheese - Tangier, melts more smoothly into a sauce
- Boursin - Garlic and herbs built in; reduce raw garlic by half
- Ricotta - Milder, dollop on top instead of stirring in
- Parmesan - Drier finish, use 4 oz finely grated (per FAQ swap on the site)
🍅 Tomatoes
- Plain diced tomatoes - Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano + ½ teaspoon dried basil to make up for the seasoned can
- Fire-roasted tomatoes - Adds smoky depth
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes - Halve and roast at 400°F for 20 minutes first, then mash into the sauce
- Crushed tomatoes - Smoother sauce, less chunky
🍝 Pasta
- Bucatini (preferred) - The thick hollow strand holds the sauce best
- Rigatoni - Tube shape catches the chunky sauce
- Penne - Easy weeknight default
- Spaghetti - Lighter, more delicate
- Gluten-free penne or rigatoni - 1:1 swap, watch the cook time
🌿 Finishing
- Fresh oregano - Brighter than dried, add at the end
- Lemon zest - A pop of acid against the rich feta
- Calabrian chili paste - For heat lovers, drizzle on top
- Toasted pine nuts - Adds crunch and nuttiness
How to Make Chicken Feta Pasta
In a large pot or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the olive oil over high for 1 minute, then add the chicken. Season liberally with salt and black pepper. Cook the chicken, moving it around in the pan a little to prevent sticking, so that a nice crust will form, about 10 minutes. Flip, sprinkle with the garlic and stir to combine for 30 seconds until fragrant. After 30 seconds, add the diced tomatoes and 6 ounces of the crumbled feta and simmer.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once al dente, add ½ cup of the pasta water into the chicken mixture and continue to let it simmer. Drain the pasta and then add to the chicken tomato mixture.
Serve warm, sprinkled with the remaining feta cheese and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
🍗🧀🍝 Tips & Tricks for the Best Chicken Feta Pasta
Creamy melted feta, garlicky tomato sauce, bucatini that holds it all
- Cube the chicken into uniform ¾-inch pieces. Inconsistent sizes mean some pieces overcook before others are done. A clean dice means every bite is juicy.
- Heat the oil before the chicken hits the pan. A full minute at high heat in the Dutch oven. Cold oil + cold chicken equals grey, watery, and no crust.
- Don't move the chicken for the first 5 minutes. Let it form a crust. If it's stuck, it's not ready to flip yet. Wait it out.
- Salt the pasta water aggressively. A heaping tablespoon for a big pot. The pasta seasons itself from the inside out, which thin sauce can never do later.
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you'll need. A full cup, not a half. The starchy water is what emulsifies the feta into a silky sauce instead of a broken mess.
- Crumble the feta in two stages. Six ounces stirred in for the sauce, two ounces crumbled on top right before serving. The first batch melts; the second stays texturally intact.
- Add the garlic only AFTER the chicken is seared. Garlic in cold or empty pans burns by minute two. Always go in last and stir for just 30 seconds.
- Drain the pasta one minute shy of al dente. It finishes cooking in the sauce, soaking up flavor. Fully cooked pasta added to sauce just sits there.
- Tear the basil, don't chop it. Knife oxidation turns basil brown and bitter within seconds. Hand-torn leaves keep the bright green color and oil intact.
- Finish with a glug of good olive oil and cracked pepper. A real finishing oil at the table, not the cheap stuff you cooked with. It pulls everything together.
FAQs
What can I substitute feta cheese for in pasta?
If you're not a fan of feta, feel free to swap it out with parmesan cheese.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Chicken Feta Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into ¾ inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
- ½ cup pasta water
- 1 pound long pasta bucatini is my favorite
- 8 ounces feta cheese divided
- fresh basil finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the olive oil over high for 1 minute, then add the chicken. Season liberally with salt and black pepper. Cook the chicken, moving it around in the pan a little to prevent sticking, so that a nice crust will form, about 10 minutes. Flip, sprinkle with the garlic and stir to combine for 30 seconds until fragrant. After 30 seconds, add the diced tomatoes and 6 ounces of the crumbled feta and simmer.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once al dente, add ½ cup of the pasta water into the chicken mixture and continue to let it simmer. Drain the pasta and then add to the chicken tomato mixture.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with the remaining feta cheese and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Cube the chicken into uniform ¾-inch pieces. Inconsistent sizes mean some pieces overcook before others are done. A clean dice means every bite is juicy.
- Heat the oil before the chicken hits the pan. A full minute at high heat in the Dutch oven. Cold oil + cold chicken equals grey, watery, and no crust.
- Don't move the chicken for the first 5 minutes. Let it form a crust. If it's stuck, it's not ready to flip yet. Wait it out.
- Salt the pasta water aggressively. A heaping tablespoon for a big pot. The pasta seasons itself from the inside out, which thin sauce can never do later.
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you'll need. A full cup, not a half. The starchy water is what emulsifies the feta into a silky sauce instead of a broken mess.
- Crumble the feta in two stages. Six ounces stirred in for the sauce, two ounces crumbled on top right before serving. The first batch melts; the second stays texturally intact.
- Add the garlic only AFTER the chicken is seared. Garlic in cold or empty pans burns by minute two. Always go in last and stir for just 30 seconds.
- Drain the pasta one minute shy of al dente. It finishes cooking in the sauce, soaking up flavor. Fully cooked pasta added to sauce just sits there.
- Tear the basil, don't chop it. Knife oxidation turns basil brown and bitter within seconds. Hand-torn leaves keep the bright green color and oil intact.
- Finish with a glug of good olive oil and cracked pepper. A real finishing oil at the table, not the cheap stuff you cooked with. It pulls everything together.
I make this dish regularly. Always a hit!
Absolutely delightful! The sauce really comes together w the added water from the pasta. Great as leftovers. Used a short pasta (penne).as that's what I had and it was great!
So easy and so flavourful.
Worked super duper well! I’m picky about tomato flavors, and this tasted great! I used goat feta cheese that I got from the farmer’s market, really good way to use it!
can i use a short pasta?
of course
Could Parmesan cheese be substituted for the feta cheese? Thank you. Love your recipes.
sure thing!
So delicious! Easy prep. This will be a regular at our house.
Huge fan! Our family loved this one and everyone had seconds. Definitely a keeper.
Made this last night and can’t stop thinking about it. Delicious and so easy to make! Thanks Gaby
Omg this was the best pasta dish I’ve ever made and so simple. It was a hit with my whole family. I never comment because most recipes I make never turn out very good but this is definitely a keeper!
So good!
Could i use a different cheese? Not a feta fan.
Yup. Great recipe, bucatini at its best. Look for great feta to go with.
The perfect dinner!!