Olive Oil Farfalle With Chicken & Spinach

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This easy Olive Oil Farfalle With Chicken & Spinach is served in a light olive oil, butter, and lemon sauce, and is topped with plenty of parmesan cheese!  It’s a super simple pasta to throw together on weeknights for a lighter dinner.  Enjoy it all on its own or with a piece of bread on the side.  There is very little prep, and, bonus, it makes enough to have plenty of leftovers to spare!

We frequented a small, casual, neighborhood Italian restaurant for years that served pastas in simple, light sauces like this one.  They were often enjoyed side-by-side with a glass of wine and a piece of garlic bread.  (Feel free to do the same!)  It was always cozy and uncomplicated, and I was craving something similar!

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RECIPE NOTES:

Pasta Choice: For this Olive Oil Farfalle With Chicken & Spinach, I chose the butterfly/bow-tie shape because in my opinion, it works perfectly to balance the sizes of the other ingredients, helping to get good ratios in each bite!

Emulsifying The Sauce: This sounds intimidating, but it’s not at all!  When heating the oil, garlic, and butter base with the added lemon juice, take care to keep the heat low so as not to curdle/separate the milk solids in the butter.  Gently stirring in the half & half is the secret to binding these elements together!

Storage: This pasta can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for several days.  (The texture of pasta in general is best the day of cooking, but otherwise it reheats very well!)

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The olive oil makes up a significant portion of the sauce, so pick one with a flavor that you love! 

Garlic: I like to mince the garlic with a garlic press for this recipe to keep things quick!

Unsalted Butter: A little bit of butter adds a nice richness and nuttiness to the olive oil sauce.

Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice adds citrusy brightness and complements the butter.

Fresh Baby Spinach: The spinach pairs perfectly with the chicken for balanced flavor!

Half & Half: The half & half doesn’t make this sauce overly creamy at all, but it is important to emulsify the butter with the lemon juice in the sauce base, so don’t skip it!

Pre-cooked Chicken Breast: No need to cook the chicken from scratch!  Save time and grab a pre-cooked variety from your local store.  We use one prepared with just olive oil, salt, and pepper!

Farfalle Pasta: The butterfly/bow-tie shape works so well for this particular ingredient combination, but feel free to experiment with another shape if you prefer!

Finely Chopped Fresh Basil: Fresh basil adds a subtly herby touch.

Red Pepper Flakes: Only a small amount of red pepper is used in this recipe, so don’t worry about it being spicy!  The little dash provides just a tad of flavor complexity.

Finely Grated Parmesan: The finely grated parmesan is found both within the pasta mix as well as served on top, and it’s a must for great flavor!  (The super fine texture works much better than larger shreds, especially for the topping!)

Salt + Black Pepper: I used a generous amount of salt and black pepper as there is a lot of surface area to cover!  Give it a taste test as you go, but you’ll probably use more than you think!

VARIATION: TRY IT WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES!

One recipe variation that I absolutely love is mixing in some sun-dried tomato slices!  I like to buy the ones jarred in olive oil, halve them into bite-sized pieces, then stir a few into the serving bowl to taste.

Because this Olive Oil Farfalle With Chicken & Spinach is such a mild pasta flavor on its own, the sun-dried tomato version will make the tomatoes the more prominent flavor.  However, if you’re working your way through the leftovers, this can be a fun way to change it up one night!

Kitchen Equipment:

• Garlic Press

• Lemon Squeezer

• Colander

• Knife & Cutting Board

• 1 Large Pot

• 1 Large Wok, or equivalent

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon + 6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 3 Cloves Garlic, pressed
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• Juice Of 1 Lemon + Juice Of 1/2 Lemon, divided
• 5 oz Fresh Baby Spinach
• 1/4 Cup Half & Half
• 1 lb Pre-cooked Chicken Breast**, cut into 1-inch, bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb Farfalle Pasta
• 3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
• 3/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan
• Salt + Black Pepper, generous amount to taste

**see Ingredient Notes above

TO SERVE

• Finely Grated Parmesan, plenty, to taste

OPTIONAL SIDE

• Bread Or Garlic Bread

Directions:

PREP

Press the garlic, squeeze the lemons, cut the chicken, and chop the basil

COOK

In a large pot, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions (I never add salt as that will be evenly added overall later on)

While the pasta is cooking…

In a large wok, or equivalent, warm up the 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and pressed garlic on low-medium heat until the garlic is lightly sizzling for a minute or two

Melt in the butter and the Juice Of 1 Lemon, then add in the spinach and cook until wilted (The lemon juice will brown the spinach slightly…That’s okay!) – On low heat, vigorously stir in the half & half to emulsify the butter and lemon juice as the spinach cooks

Add in the chicken pieces

Drain the cooked pasta, then add it into the wok along with the 6 Tablespoons of olive oil, and toss everything together

Stir in the prepared basil, Juice Of 1/2 Lemon, red pepper flakes, and the 1/2 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan

Lastly, mix in a generous amount of salt and black pepper to taste

Serve with plenty of extra finely grated parmesan on top

Enjoy!

[Store leftovers airtight in the refrigerator.]