Mediterranean Chicken Feta Pasta Bake

Summer. School is out, which means my kitchen at Hodge is quiet for the first time in nine months. The silence is strange — I'm used to the clatter of trays, the chatter of children, the industrial hum of the ovens. Now it's just me and the empty cafeteria and the mop and my thoughts, which are louder than I'd like.

Summer at the school means deep cleaning. I spend the first week scrubbing everything — the ovens, the freezers, the prep stations, the floors. My kitchen aide, Sheila, comes in for three days to help, and we play gospel music on my little radio and we clean like the health inspector is coming tomorrow. He's not. He came in March and gave us a 98, which I was insulted by because we are a 100 kitchen and the two points he took off were for a dented ceiling tile that is not my jurisdiction.

But the real news this week is Kayla. She started studying for the NCLEX — the nursing board exam — and she is living in my house like a ghost who only appears for food. She studies at the kitchen table from seven a.m. to ten p.m., surrounded by flashcards and review books and a determination so fierce it scares me a little. I feed her and she eats without looking up. I bring her sweet tea and she drinks it without tasting it. She is locked in, baby, and I know better than to interrupt.

I made chicken bog this week — the Lowcountry version, with smoked sausage and the rice cooked in the chicken broth until it's soft and rich and comforting. It's a one-pot meal, the kind of thing you make when you don't want fuss, you just want full. Kayla ate three bowls. I didn't say anything. I just kept the pot warm.

Earl and I sat on the porch after supper and he said, "She's going to pass that exam." I said, "Of course she is." He said, "She's got your stubbornness." I said, "She's got Michael's brain." He was quiet for a while. Then he said, "She's got both." And he reached over and held my hand, and the marsh was dark and the frogs were singing and we sat there, two old people who have buried more than they should have, holding hands in the dark because that is still, after everything, enough.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Chicken bog is my soul food, and I’ll stand by that till the Lord calls me home — but when I’m sharing a recipe here, I wanted to give you something you can find the ingredients for on a Tuesday without calling three stores. This Mediterranean Chicken Feta Pasta Bake carries that same spirit: one pan, real food, no fuss, built for the kind of week where somebody in your house is studying so hard they forget to be hungry. Make a big pan of it, keep it warm, and let it do the quiet work of taking care of people.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 oz penne or ziti pasta, uncooked
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
6 oz block feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
Season the chicken. In a large bowl, toss the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, a generous pinch of salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Set aside.
Cook the pasta partway. Boil the pasta in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes — it should still be quite firm. Drain and set aside. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Build the base. In the prepared baking dish, combine the par-cooked pasta, diced tomatoes (with their liquid), chicken broth, minced garlic, cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir gently to combine.
Add the chicken. Scatter the seasoned chicken pieces evenly over the pasta mixture, pressing them down slightly so they nestle into the liquid.
Top with feta. Crumble the feta cheese generously over the top. The feta will soften and create pockets of creamy, salty richness as it bakes.
Bake uncovered. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, the liquid has absorbed into the pasta, and the top is lightly golden in spots.
Finish with spinach and lemon. Remove from the oven and immediately fold in the fresh spinach — the heat of the dish will wilt it right down. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and sprinkle on the lemon zest. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Rest and serve. Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh parsley and serve straight from the pan. It holds well — you can keep it warm in a low oven (275°F) for up to 45 minutes without losing quality.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mediterranean Chicken Feta Pasta Bake — The Pot I Kept Warm