Balsamic Chicken Pasta

I love balsamic vinegar so when planning this week's meals, I searched for a chicken recipe than used it. This recipe was on All Recipes. I made a couple of changes. I used rigatoni pasta instead of penne just because that's what I had, added some parmesan cheese, and onion. The original recipe called for raw tomatoes, and cold olive oil and balsamic vinegar to be added to the warm chicken and pasta. Instead, while the pasta and chicken were cooking, I sauteed the onion and then added the oil, vinegar, tomatoes, and basil so they'd be warm. It turned out to be pretty good. I wonder what it'd be like with feta instead of parmesan.



Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ounce fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Mince garlic cloves in food processor or blender. Add 1/3 of the basil leaves to the processor, and chop until fine. Pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil, and continue to process until mixture turns light yellow with flecks of basil. Add the balsamic vinegar; process just until combined. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Marinate chicken for 2 hours, or up to overnight, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Brown chicken in a large skillet over high heat, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large baking dish, and place in the oven until cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven, slice into 1/4 inch strips, and return to baking dish to absorb cooking juices. Keep warm.
4. While chicken is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil the pasta until cooked through, but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well. Stir the chicken and the juices from the baking dish into the hot pasta.
5. Thinly slice the remaining basil leaves.
6. Saute onions in 1 Tablespoon of oil.
7. Add remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until ingredients are warmed through. Add the chicken, pasta, and cheese; toss to combine.