Loaded Italian Chicken & Pasta Dinner

With the right herbs and spices, this pasta dish tastes like a delicious Italian Chicken dinner.

We love Italian cuisine like Italian Chicken. Known for it’s pasta, bread, cheese, and risotto’s, it’s easy to get kids interested in an Italian meal as well.  The many types, sizes, shapes, and lengths of pasta can make a variety of dishes feel and taste different, as well as provide a base for different fillings and toppings.   According to Wikipidia, Italian cuisine is also known for it’s simplicity, which is also appealing.  Usually only a few ingredients with lots of delicious herbs and spices.

This particular pasta dish is a great meal for healthy kids because all in one skillet, we have all the macronutrients necessary for a balanced meal.

• Protein: The chicken in this dish of course is a great source of protein.  We used chicken breasts for this recipe, but we also like to substitute for chicken thighs.
• Fat:  Like all good Italian cuisine, cheese is a must!  We added Parmesan cheese to this dinner, providing a little fat to make the dinner taste good and be more filling.
• Fiber: I love this dish, because unlike a lot of pasta dishes, we’ve added beans! Beans are a great source of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals.
• Carbs: Of course, you can’t have a pasta, Italian dish without stating the obvious, that pasta is a great source of carbs!  In a society where people like to talk about carbs being the fattening macro-nutrient, we still maintain at Super Healthy Kids that carbs are vital for energy,for satiety,and for delicious, inexpensive meals!

What herbs and spices make Italian flavors?

Beyond the pasta and cheese, Italian cuisine is known for it’s distinct combination of specific herbs and spices grown native to Italy.  Some typical flavors you’ll find with Italian food include:

• Parsley– grown in the Mediterranean region, parsley is one of the most popular herbs on the market.  Like most herbs, because they are so low in calories, they are considered dense with nutrients.Only 3 calories contains 10 mg of calcium 123 mcg of vitamin K, 10 mg of vitamin , .5 mg of iron, and even some folate.
• Oregano– possibly the spice that is most associated with Italian cuisine is oregano. Oregano is typically eaten dried, because the flavor is stronger when it’s dried than fresh.
• Peperoncino– An Italian name for hot chili peppers, these are an excellent source of Vitamin A.
• Bay Leaves – Often a full dry bay leaf might be included in cooking to enhance the flavor, but then removed before the dish is served.   A bay leaf, eaten whole is bitter and pungent!
• Basil – basil comes in many different shapes and flavors and can be eaten fresh or dried.  Many people enjoy basil blended with oil to make pesto.  Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin K, Iron, and calcium.
• Sage – sage is used to flavor meats, like chicken, sausage, and pork.  Many people will rub fresh sage onto the meat to  release some of the oils and enhance the flavor.
• Rosemary– some believe rosemary has potent antioxidants that stimulate brain health and memory.   Research has supported some minor boosts in memory recall, so it’s worth a try!  (source)
• Thyme – finally, Thyme! It’s a good source of Vitamin C and A, and enhances the flavor of Italian dishes.

How to make homemade Italian Seasoning

Recently, markets have been selling these dried herbs and spices altogether in a spice jar they are calling Italian Seasoning.  You can definitely buy this blend, but you could also make it yourself, especially if you are cultivating and drying your own herbs.    A common combination includes equal portions of:

about 1 tablespoon each

• dried basil
• dried oregano
• dried rosemary
• dried marjoram
• dried cilantro
• dried thyme
• dried savory
• red pepper flakes

Garlic powder, salt, and onion power could also be used.   We use Italian seasoning for adding flavor to tomato based products like marinara sauce, spaghetti sauce,pizza sauce, etc.

Raising kids to be adventurous eaters starts with exposing them to new tastes and flavors of different cuisines and cultures. This Italian chicken is a great start.

More Italian dinner ideas:

• Italian Baked Spaghetti Squash
• Italian Spaghetti Carbonara
• Italian Chicken and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Creamy Crockpot Italian Chicken Recipe
• Italian potatoes

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