Roasted Garlic & Feta Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Tender chicken with roasted garlic and creamy feta in this vibrant Greek-inspired pasta dish.

# What You Need:

→ Meat & Dairy

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 5.3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
03 - 2 tbsp Greek yogurt

→ Pasta

04 - 12.3 oz penne or rigatoni pasta

→ Vegetables

05 - 2 whole garlic bulbs
06 - 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
07 - 5.3 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
08 - 3.5 oz baby spinach

→ Pantry & Seasonings

09 - 3 tbsp olive oil
10 - 1 tsp dried oregano
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 0.5 tsp chili flakes, optional
13 - Salt and black pepper to taste
14 - Zest and juice of 1 lemon

→ Garnish

15 - Fresh parsley, chopped

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice tops off garlic bulbs, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast for 30 minutes until soft and golden.
02 - Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. Place on baking tray with sliced red onion and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast in oven for 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
03 - Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Reserve 0.5 cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.
04 - Squeeze roasted garlic cloves from their skins into large bowl. Mash with fork. Add Greek yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Whisk together to form creamy sauce, thinning with reserved pasta water as needed.
05 - Slice roasted chicken into strips.
06 - In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add baby spinach and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes.
07 - Add cooked pasta, roasted onion, cherry tomatoes, chicken, and mashed garlic sauce to skillet. Toss well to combine and heat through.
08 - Remove from heat, stir in crumbled feta, and toss gently.
09 - Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley and extra feta if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasted garlic does all the heavy lifting, creating a naturally creamy sauce without any cream at all.
  • Everything roasts at once, so you're really just managing one oven and one skillet while dinner practically makes itself.
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but your actual hands-on time is shockingly short.
02 -
  • The reserved pasta water is essential—it transforms the sauce from thick and pasty to silky and elegant, so don't skip it or you'll wonder why your pasta feels gluey.
  • Don't add the feta until the very end and after you've removed from heat, otherwise it'll melt into the sauce instead of staying as those important little tangy pockets.
03 -
  • If you forget to reserve pasta water, don't panic—warm broth or even plain warm water works in a pinch, though the starchy pasta water creates a noticeably silkier result.
  • Slightly undercooking your pasta by a minute means it continues firming up as it absorbs the sauce, giving you better texture than mushy, overcooked pasta.
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