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This easy chicken bruschetta pasta is packed with tender chicken breast and zesty tomatoes in a sweet and tart balsamic sauce. Enjoy it with a glass of wine on date night, or at family dinner with sparkling grape juice for the kids.
If you love the fresh Italian flavors in this bruschetta chicken pasta, try more easy recipes like this one-pot Caprese pasta, this creamy chicken orzo, and my lemon chicken fettuccine, next!
Bruschetta and pasta are two classic Italian dishes I can’t get enough of. So, why not put them together? This bruschetta chicken pasta has chopped basil, chunks of fresh tomato, and homemade vinaigrette dressing tossed with juicy bites of chicken. Every bite is popping with bright, fresh, Mediterranean-style flavors. It’s a perfect family meal, and it’s gone straight into our Sunday dinner rotation lately. You’ll see why soon enough!
What I Love About This Bruschetta Pasta
- It’s quick. This chicken bruschetta pasta is a quick and easy dinner that’s ready in about 35 minutes.
- Full of flavor. This pasta dish is bursting with all of my favorite Italian-inspired ingredients, like fresh garden tomatoes, zesty basil, and garlic. Everything gets tossed together with tender pasta, tomato sauce, and pan-seared chicken pieces before I drizzle it with a tangy balsamic reduction. SO GOOD!
- Adaptable. Change out the chicken for another protein, use your favorite pasta shapes, and amp up the tomato bruschetta sauce with chilies, seasonings, and more. Like any good pasta recipe, this one’s super flexible.
What Is Bruschetta?
Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer traditionally served on a slice of toasted bread. The bread is rubbed in olive oil and garlic, then topped with a mixture of chopped tomatoes and basil that’s tossed in balsamic vinegar before being piled on top of the crispy bread. It’s the inspiration behind my bruschetta chicken! For this recipe, we’re taking all those traditional bruschetta flavors and swapping the bread with pasta.
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients list is short and sweet for this easy bruschetta pasta recipe. Recreating all those fresh and zesty tomato-y flavors comes down to a few key add-ins! I’ve included some notes below. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list with the full amounts and recipe details.
- Pasta – I like to use bowtie pasta because the balsamic clings to the ridges, but you can use any kind of pasta you prefer. Penne, rigatoni, shells, and even long pasta, like linguine or fettuccine will all work here.
- Olive Oil – An Italian cooking staple. Avocado oil is a good substitute.
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into cubes.
- Tomatoes – I use Roma tomatoes, which are tender and flavorful, but still hold up well in the sauce. Feel free to use whichever tomatoes you have on hand. Cherry tomatoes are fine, too.
- Basil – Fresh basil is a must! Slice the fresh leaves into thin ribbons.
- Garlic – Minced whole cloves.
- Tomato Sauce – Choose your favorite jar of tomato sauce, marinara, or passata from the store. If you have a homemade recipe, that works, too!
- Balsamic Vinegar – To simmer with sugar to make a balsamic glaze. You could also use red wine vinegar, though the flavor won’t be quite the same.
How to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
It’s time to turn this classic appetizer into the best weeknight pasta dinner! Here’s how to make bruschetta chicken pasta in just a few simple steps:
- Cook the pasta. Boil a pot of water over the stove and prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- Cook the chicken. Season your diced chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet and add the cubed chicken. Cook it until the chicken has browned evenly and it’s cooked through.
- Make the bruschetta. Dice the tomatoes and save the juices from them in a small bowl. Combine the diced tomatoes, tomato juices, basil, olive oil, salt pepper, and garlic.
- Make the tomato sauce. Sauté the rest of the garlic for about 20 seconds and then stir in the bruschetta. Add the tomato sauce to the pan and bring it to a boil. Pour the prepared pasta into the saucepan and toss it all around until the sauce coats the noodles completely.
- Make the vinaigrette. Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil in a small separate pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook it until the vinaigrette turns into a thick syrup. Add it to the prepared pasta, tossing it again so the vinaigrette coats the noodles.
- Serve. Plate the pasta and top it with the prepared chicken before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Marinate the chicken for more flavor. If time allows, I like to marinate the chicken in extra balsamic vinaigrette for an hour or so in the fridge (not more than 4 hours, otherwise it makes the chicken rubbery).
- Dice the chicken into even pieces. This way, everything cooks at the same time and it prevents undercooking or dryness.
- Cooking times vary. Check the pasta cooking instructions on the box, as different types of pasta vary in cooking time and texture.
- Get creative with add-ins. Add more to the bruschetta with options like onions, feta, beans, cured meats, green olives, and veggies like eggplant, artichoke, zucchini, mushrooms, or bell pepper. I also think a chicken pasta inspired by caponata might be next!
- Different protein. Substitute protein with beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage, tofu, or remove it and add beans for a complete vegetarian meal.
- Make it gluten-free. For a gluten-free version, replace pasta with gluten-free noodles, sweet potato noodles, rice noodles, zucchini noodles, or tapioca noodles.
- Make it spicy. Add spice with spicy sausage instead of chicken, or sprinkle in some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken bruschetta pasta pairs really well with garlic breadsticks or squares of fluffy homemade focaccia bread. For a veggie side, I think this bacon-wrapped asparagus goes perfectly with the sweet-tangy balsamic flavors! I also love this Mediterranean salad or green bean salad with bacon. Keep the Italian theme going with some pignoli cookies and a mug of cinnamon dolce latte for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. You can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Keep it sealed tightly, either in a bowl with plastic wrapped snugly over it or in an airtight container.
- Reheat. When you’re ready to reheat it, either warm it on the stove over medium heat or microwave it for 30 seconds at a time until it’s warmed through.
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
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Chicken Bruschetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound bow tie pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 roma tomatoes
- 10 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Boil the pasta. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- Cook the chicken. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet; add the cubed chicken to the skillet and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F degrees. Set aside.
- Make the tomato mixture. Dice the tomatoes and save the juices in a small bowl. Combine the tomatoes, tomato juices, basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and half of the minced garlic; set aside. You can also make this ahead of time and refrigerate for 2 hours, covered.
- Sauté the garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the remaining garlic and sauté for about 20 seconds, or until soft. Do not burn the garlic.
- Put it all together. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the prepared tomato salad. Add tomato sauce to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the prepared pasta to the saucepan and toss around until coated. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add a balsamic reduction. In a small saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the sauce turns to a thick syrup. Remove from heat and add it to the prepared pasta.
- Serve! Transfer the pasta to a platter. Arrange the chicken over the pasta and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- To Store: Keep sealed tightly in the fridge covered in plastic or an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Cook on the stove over medium heat or microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Parmesan is a great cheese to top you pasta dishes but everyone uses it. Try experimenting with other Italian cheeses. One that I would suggest is Pecorino Toscano a great sheep’s milk cheese. It is great for grating.
I know this was posted years ago, but I’ve made this recipe several times since I found it, including tonight, and I just LOVE it! It’s so so good!!
Hi! I hope someone can help me, because I just went and bought all the ingredients but I bought balsamic vinaigrette dressing because I’m new to all this so don’t judge me lol. Can i use that to mix with sugar or is there any replacement? Thanks in advance!
This was a really good, fresh tasting dish!! I cooked some baby bella mushrooms with a little dried basil and pepper on the side then added to tomato mixture. I also used a little extra tomato sauce (depends on your preference of the sauce’s consistency) and only 1/3 cup of balsamic.
Hi!! I looove that you used mushrooms! Thanks for the tip – I’ll definitely add those next time I make it. My husband will love it even more! 😀
Katerina –
Is it 4 or 5 tbsp of olive oil? Directions equal out to 5 (1 for chicken, 2 for bruchetta and 2 more cooking the sauce) but ingredient list says 4.
Also, can I use balsamic glaze instead or will it not be the same? I have the one from Trader Joe’s. Says Trader Giotto’s Balsamic Glaze . thank you!!!
Janelle: did you use TJ’s balsamic vinegar glaze? I’m wondering the same thing. THANKS…Shelly
For some reason mine had wayyyyyy too much balsamic, it ruined the dish. Did I read 1/2 cup correctly?
You have to reduce it in a separate sauce pan you should have no more then 1/4cup less is great or you can use some balsamique glaze (that you can purchase at the grocery store)
Hey. I made this tonight. I was feeling sketchy about it because I’m the past, anything I put balsamic vinegar on didn’t turn out good. But this! Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! SO happy you liked it! 😀 Thank you!
Made this last night ; my family loved it
Do people not usually use the juices from the tomatoes in recipes? I can’t even imagine trying to separate them?! LOL Also it bothered me so much that the pasta in the video looks SO much different then the one in the photos! but anywhoo I made this last night and it was so delicious. I definitely changed it up a bit tho. And mine actually did look like the one in the photos! I think I ended up using a cup and half of the pasta sauce (I like my pastas saucy) and I only used half of the balsamic vinegar/sugar and just threw it in the sauce as I cooked the noodles. I also used dried basil because that’s all I had on hand. But otherwise a good recipe that I’ll probably make again!
This will be my second time making this dish. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
How can a recipe with just a few basic ingredients and requiring very little preparation be, in your words, a waste of time and money? In my opinion you are being impolite and disrespectful. Maybe, dare I suggest, you should look at your own possible culinary failings. Just a thought.
My comment was a response to a comment from Amanda. Seems it may have been indicated differently
HI! Thank you for saying what I was thinking! 😉 XO