Shells with Chicken and Mozzarella

Yes, I have brushed the dust off of my apron and decided that after a week of girls camp I can actually cook again. This was our lunch for today.

1 and 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins - use below ingredients on chicken

Oil for grates or 1 Tbs olive oil for pan ( I used my favorite new garlic infused olive oil, yum!)

Garlic Salt

Onion Powder

Pepper

Paprika

Juice of one lemon

8 oz medium pasta shells

1 large tomato or 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved

4 oz fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for garnish

2 Tbs Butter

Fresh Parsley (or dried if needed)

Cook pasta, at the same time you can grill or saute chicken, I salted and peppered mine, added some paprika, onion powder, and Garlic Salt. Grill or Saute for about 3 minutes on each side depending on thickness. At the end I squeezed the juice of one lemon on the chicken. This also helps De-glaze the pan and bring up the little crunchy bits from the pan. Let your chicken cool and cut into thin strips.

When your pasta is done, save about 1 cup of the cooking water for later use. To cool my pasta a little I rinsed it with cold water and then let it drain.

Combine pasta, chicken, butter and Parmesan cheese. Mix together in pan, add reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a sauce that coats the shells. (I didn't use all the water).

Add mozzarella at the end in order to keep the heat of the pasta and the chicken from making a giant cheese ball in your pasta. I didn't have a chunk of mozzarella so I added a handful of an Italian 6 cheese blend of shredded cheese. This melted just slightly and was wonderful!

I seeded a tomato and then added it in to my bowl after I had dished up Chad's. Yes, he is spoiled!