This delicious chicken fusilli pasta recipe with feta is a quick dish for busy days, using six ingredients, and ready in less than 30 minutes.
Pasta, tender chicken pieces, and feta cheese... this chicken fusilli recipe has the potential of becoming a family favorite. More cheesy pasta dishes? Check out this delicious Ham and Cheese Paste Bake or the Potluck Pasta Salad - Greek-Style.
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❤️Why will you love this recipe?
- Quick: Perfect for a busy weeknight, it takes less than half an hour to cook.
- Cheap: You will need only 6 ingredients, and they are all budget-friendly.
- Kids-friendly: It is one of the dishes I used to cook very often when my kids were small; they never complained.
- A refreshing, light dish perfect for any season. Make our Beetroot Pasta - another simple and delicious pasta dish.
📋Recipe ingredients and substitutions
You will probably not even have to go shopping to make this delicious chicken fusilli pasta dish. Most people have some breast in the freezer; noodles are a staple in every household, and I cannot even remember the last time when I didn't have feta and green onions in the fridge.
- Chicken breast: Skinless, boneless pieces. You can replace it with the same amount of skinless, boneless thighs.
- Pasta: Fusilli is the standard for this recipe, at least in our house. My kids got so used to having this chicken dish with fusilli, so I never buy anything else to make it.
- But rest assured; you can cook this chicken feta pasta dish with any other sort of noodles you happen to have, including whole wheat or spelled.
- Feta cheese: You can use either Greek, Bulgarian, Turkish, or French feta, whatever you happen to have. Some sorts are saltier than others; adjust the salt accordingly. Try our Feta Stuffed Peppers, too.
- Full-fat is the creamiest, but low-fat feta is also fine.
- Green onions and chives: If you don't have green onions, you can replace them with leeks (which you can always buy frozen) or use more chives (they freeze well, so you might happen to have them in the freezer).
- Single cream: You can use half-and-half or heavy cream as well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🏻🍳Recipe steps
- Cook fusilli in salted water according to the package instructions. Drain well.
- Chicken: While the pasta cooks, cut the meat into small cubes. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the cubes, often stirring, until golden on all sides; it will take about 4-5 minutes (1).
- Onions: In the meantime, slice the green onions. Add them to the pan and cook for two more minutes, stirring occasionally (2).
- Check that the meat pieces are cooked through, cut one in the middle, it should be white, not pink.
- Add single cream, crumble the cheese over the ingredients in the pan, and stir to combine (3).
- Stir gently on very low heat for about 2 minutes until the cheese melts and the mixture thickens slightly (4).
- Add most of the chives and freshly ground black pepper, and stir (5).
- Combine with the drained pasta. I do that either directly in the pan (if the pan is large enough) or in the pot, I’ve just used for cooking the fusilli (6).
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle with the remaining chives before serving.
🔊Expert Tips
Use feta from a block of cheese packed in brine, not the pre-crumbled type. The brined feta is in any possible way superior: it’s moister, it has more flavor, and it takes just a few seconds to crumble with your hand directly into the pot.
Vacuum-packed is fine as well, way better than pre-crumbled, but brined cheese is the best.
Some types of feta are saltier than others; make sure you adjust the salt accordingly.
❓Recipe FAQs
Sure, use turkey breast instead of chicken.
Keep leftover chicken fusilli in an airtight container in the refrigerator; they will be fine for 2-3 days.
Reheat in the microwave, covered for about 2 minutes or until hot.
Reheat on the stovetop in a nonstick saucepan or pan. Add some milk to loosen the dish when reheating, and stir often.
You can the chicken fusilli into a quick pasta salad, something to take to work or school the next day.
Add a little olive oil and stir to loosen the pasta; everything will kind of stick together.
Add a few halved cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, fresh herbs, chopped arugula, a little drained corn from a can, cooked peas, and so on. Stir well and adjust the taste again.
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Chicken Fusilli Pasta Recipe (with Feta)
Ingredients
- 12 oz fusilli 350 g, Note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast 450 g, Note 2
- 5 green onions scallions
- 7 oz feta cheese 200 g
- ¾ cup single cream (or heavy) Note 3
- 1 small bunch of chives about 3 tablespoons chopped
- fine sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt generously, and cook the pasta according to the package's instructions. Drain.
- Chicken: While the pasta cooks, cut the chicken into small cubes. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the chicken cubes, often stirring, until golden on all sides. Depending on their size, it should take 4-5 minutes.
- Onions: In the meantime, slice the green onions. Add them to the pan and cook for two more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Check that the chicken pieces are cooked through, cut one in the middle, the meat should be white, not pink.
- Add single cream, cube or crumble the cheese over the ingredients in the pan and stir to combine. Stir gently on very low heat for about 2 minutes until the cheese melts and the mixture thickens slightly.
- Add most of the chives and freshly ground black pepper, stir.
- Combine with the drained pasta. Do that either directly in the pan (if the pan is large enough) or in the pot you’ve just used for cooking the pasta.
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle with the remaining chives before serving.
Notes
- Pasta: You can use another kind of pasta, preferably short.
- Meat: Substitute chicken with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or with turkey breast.
- The nutrition is calculated with single cream.
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
So healthy, good looking and refreshing salad, Adina. Perfect summer meal!
Adina says
Thank you, Anu. 🙂
Sam @ SugarSpunRun says
Yum, I love the lightness of this salad! And I'm impressed with how easy it is, too! 🙂
Adina says
Thank you, Sam. I love that too, there are days when things can't go fast enough. 🙂