This idea was inspired by a dish I had at a restaurant a few years ago. I don't remember which restaurant it was or what the dish was called. But, I tried to re-create it or at least come somewhat close to it a few days later at home. I've done it a few times since. Missing from the pictures is the balsamic glaze that I bought from Costco. I need to try and make my own, because they don't carry it anymore and half of us love it. That chunk that's wrapped in plastic in the first picture is what is left of my fresh Parmesan. Almost to the rind. Pretty much ready to use as flavoring in a soup now. I only had enough to shave a little bit for the picture. The rest of us had already grated Parmesan, which wasn't bad, but shaved Parmesan is just so much more elegant and fresh tasting. I need to get some on my next Costco run. I buy my bruschetta at Costco, because it's cheaper there than at the grocery store.
Because Steve was grilling over the weekend, I had him put some chicken thighs on for this meal. That made it so much quicker to assemble the night I was ready to serve this. I have bought the "grilled chicken strips" at the warehouse store before, but they didn't have the frozen ones and the fresh ones were just too expensive. Truth be told, looking at the label on the fresh ones, there were things added that lead me to believe that they were preservatives, since expiration date on the package was a month from now. I didn't feel like paying for that when we could just grill our own ahead of time. The charcoal was smoldering by the time the chicken finished grilling, so it ended up being half grilled and half smoked. It added an incredible flavor, flavor that certainly can't be matched by pre-packaged "grilled" chicken. If you decide to grill your own chicken ahead of time, keep the pieces whole, so they don't dry out when you reheat them.
Top the cooked pasta with warm bruschetta and grilled chicken. Shave Parmesan over top.
Drizzle with balsamic glaze. I'm telling you, the flavor is insane!
Somehow, I missed getting a picture of baby eating this, but she absolutely loved it. Oh wait, that's right, I was also working on yogurt in my crock pot.
Grilled Chicken Bruschetta Pasta with Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients
1 lb. pasta (I use Angel Hair because it just makes it seem more elegant)Bruchetta, desired amount warmed up
Grilled chicken (I used thighs this time, but boneless, skinless breast slices nicely)
Big chunk of fresh Parmesan cheese for shaving (pre-grated will work in a pinch)
Balsamic glaze
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