Chicken, Olive & Red Pepper Pasta

The impetus for tonight's meal was that my husband had to work late, then came home to inform me he had not gotten to eat lunch, so I thought I needed to make a big pasta dish that was healthy, but that could 1) be prepared quickly and 2) be available for easy seconds. I have to say that my vision for this dish at conception was a thick hearty sauce, but it turned out thinner and more chunky...in retrospect I should have used a can of crushed tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes, and I also wish I had more time for the sauce to simmer and reduce, thus making it thicker...maybe next time. It was still tasty and plentiful...

Chicken, Olive & Red Pepper Pasta

3 T olive oil, divided

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 cloves garlic, grated

1 cup pitted black olives, sliced

1 cup red peppers, sliced

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup cooking sherry

1 14. oz. can petite diced tomatoes with juice (again, I would use crushed tomatoes next time)

2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce (I only used this to try and thicken the sauce, and I would have used tomato paste if I had any, but again the crushed tomatoes would probably eliminate the need for this altogether)

1/2 lb. whole wheat rotini pasta (penne would be good too)

Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper and drizzle of olive oil, then heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to coat the pan, then add the chicken and sear on each side until brown and caramelized (it's okay if the center is still a bit pink, as it will cook in the sauce later). Set chicken aside once seared and let it rest on a cutting board (at least 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat another skillet over low heat and add the remaining olive oil. Grate in the garlic cloves and stir; add the olives and red peppers, season with salt and pepper and toss a few times in the pan, keeping the heat low (as to not burn the garlic). Once the pan starts to sizzle a bit, de-glaze the pan with the sherry and let cook for a few minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Combine well and bring the sauce up to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer.

While the sauce simmers and thickens, bring a pot of salted water up to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Keep an eye on the sauce and stir every once in a while. Right as the pasta finishes, slice the chicken breasts and add to the sauce and toss to coat and heat through. Drain the pasta, remove sauce from heat and serve over pasta.