Chicken Pasta with Olive Tapenade and Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs
Conchiglie pasta with zucchini and chicken, covered with tapenade sauce
Olive tapenade pasta sauce
There are two basic versions I tend to make with this pasta. The first is minimalist style — just tapenade and olive oil as the sauce. In that case, spaghetti is the matching pasta. The second version is with a rich vegetable tapenade sauce and chicken (not a must, but chicken and olives are a great match). Here, a short pasta works best since it can scoop up the sauce so you get it with every bite.
*** Note: the tapenade marinade will absorb best into the chicken if left overnight. If you don't have the time or the patience, give it half an hour in the fridge.
Making the garlic breadcrumbs
This pasta is great by itself, but a new texture in the dish is always nice. The crunch of the breadcrumbs really kicks things up a level. For the breadcrumbs, use any stale bread you have on hand. I like the oven-roasted version — it dries out all the moisture the crumbs contain and gives them that crispy texture.Don't use a food processor for the breadcrumbs. The old-fashioned way is best here — uneven, with large pieces. Don't fight it, just use whatever you get.
Method
- 1
Marinading the chicken· 30 minutes
Place the chicken thighs, olive oil, salt , pepper and half of the tapenade in a bowl, mix well and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
- 2
make the breadcrumbs· 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 160°c/320F. Scrape the stale bread roughly, uneven breadcrumbs are just perfect and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil and season with dry thyme and dry garlic powder, mix well and pour into a baking pan. bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy.
- 3
Sear the chicken thighs· 4 minutes
Place a cast iron skillet over high heat, when simmering throw the chicken, and sear for 3 minutes, take out into a bowl and add the other half of the tapenade (another tablespoon).
- 4
Start the sauce
In the same pan, add the onion, zucchini and olive oil, cook for 5 minutes add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the wine and cook for 30 more seconds on high heat, pour in the chicken stock and cook for another minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the pasta and chicken, mix and add the tapenade, stir until combined and immediately remove from heat. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add the breadcrumbs and parsley. Serve hot and spread parmesan on top if desired.
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
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