Easy Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli

Easy Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli is my way of jumping on the baked feta band wagon!

The original viral recipe from @liemessa got over a million views on TikTok! And I’m pretty certain every other food blogger has since posted some version of this feta dish.

And for good reason. It’s absolutely delicious!!!

So as my 21 year-old bonus son goes off to his senior year of college, I was presented with a challenge or a theme if you will (by he and a buddy – who are both quite capable in the kitchen).

Start a recipe series called College Cooking and give us a new recipe each week that we can prepare in our off-campus housing kitchens!

Be sure the ingredients are readily available (and affordable) but help us break free from blue box mac ‘n cheese, frozen pizzas, and fast-food meals.

It’s fairly well documented here on the pages of Lemony Thyme that I love a good theme!

Challenge accepted!

Weekly College Cooking Series

• Recipes using readily available affordable ingredients.
• The recipes will include substitutions for items that may be hard to locate or intimidating.
• Will include how-to techniques for new cooks.
• We’ll stick to basic kitchen equipment, down the road a slow cooker will definitely be involved especially as we head into winter. Click this link to view my top “Essentials, Tips & Ingredients Lists.”
• Each recipe will be full of elevated flavor! Here we go!

I love this challenge already!

Easy Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli

This recipe is going to take the key components of the original feta and cherry tomatoes version and turn it into a satisfying easy meal. We’ll add broccoli and chicken and toss it all with cooked pasta at the end!

Check out my 30-second Recipe Video HERE!

Equipment Required

• Cutting board and sharp knife
• 9″ x 13″ Baking Dish
• Oven
• Pasta Pot & Strainer
• Spoon for stirring and serving

Recipe Note: yes, you can substitute a different size baking dish. The key is to find something similar to the same square inches. The dish below is 10″x12″ for example. Square, oval or round works for this recipe.

Ingredients Required for 4 servings

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• a head of fresh broccoli
• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 8-ounce block feta cheese (packed in water or brine is best)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound dried pasta (I used Cavatappi)
• salt & black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves (about 3 Tablespoons chopped)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse cherry tomatoes and place in baking dish.
• Cut broccoli into florets (bite-sized pieces), discarding tough stems. Add to baking dish.
• Cut chicken into 1″-1~1/2″ cubes. Add to baking dish and mix with tomatoes and broccoli.
• Add block of feta cheese to center.
• Drizzle with olive oil
• Sprinkle with salt & black pepper
• Bake for 35 minutes

While feta mixture is baking…

• Prepare pasta according to package instructions. You can use any dried pasta in this recipe: cavatappi, elbow macaroni, penne, spaghetti.
• Chop garlic and fresh basil (see Recipe Note below)
• Call mom or dad :)

Preparation Continued

• When the feta mixture comes out of the oven, sprinkle with minced garlic and chopped basil.
• There will be liquid in the baking dish which will mix with the soft feta to create a delicious sauce.
• Stir well.

• Stir in your drained cooked pasta and serve!

Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli is meant to be a complete meal, but a side salad with Greek Red Wine & Feta Vinaigrette would go nicely with this dish!

If you make this recipe, please drop me a comment below! I’d love to see pictures too! Tag me on social media @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook! Use the hashtag #collegecooking.

All my best,
xo Libby

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