Blueberry Chicken Pasta

Tonight I decided to be adventurous and healthy, and speedy! So I googled quick summer recipes and one of the first things that popped up was a recipe for blueberry chicken pasta. Now, at first the picture looked gross, and I thought to myself, "those things don't go together." However, it looked interesting. So I went to the grocery store and got the ingredients...the modified ingredients. Here is the recipe, in parentheses is my modification.


1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used canned...well actually packaged...same thing without having to touch raw meat)

8 ounce(s) whole-wheat fusilli or radiatore (I already had some fusilli, but it wasn't whole wheat, so not as healthy)
3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot (I used an onion...pretty much the same thing--once again, I already had one, why waste it?)
1/3 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese (I like my food cheesy, so I used a little more)
3 tablespoon(s) lime juice (I don't like limes so...no lime juice for me)
1 cup(s) fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh thyme (I used italian seasoning instead)
1 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lime zest (see above)
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt (I don't measure my salt, I just shake)

(after reading my modifications, I know you're thinking, you didn't follow the recipe at ALL)

Here's how you put it all together:
(you can skip step one if you do things my way)

1. Place chicken in a skillet or saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Shred into bite-size strips.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions. Drain. Place in a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, place oil and shallot in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Add broth, feta and lime juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the feta begins to melt, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the chicken to the bowl with the pasta. Add the dressing, blueberries, thyme, lime zest and salt and toss until combined.

Four (or three if you're me) easy steps to what ended up not being so bad. I went light on the blueberries because I was afraid to mix fruit with my chicken, but Jason actually suggested using more next time. If you follow the recipe this dinner is only 315 calories. I paired it with a simple salad with red wine vingerette and water to follow the "healthy" theme. Dessert was a slice of watermelon. So, I'm feeling pretty good right now :)

Go ahead and try it, even if it sounds weird. You'll be pleasantly surprised! :)

(please excuse the blurry pics)