For obvious reasons, most of us in America won’t be visiting Europe any time soon. If you’re wishing to be in the Mediterranean, then this dish will make you feel like you’re there.

Mediterranean cuisine is adored all over the world. And so it should be! It’s delicious.

This Greek chicken pasta dish has everything that makes Mediterranean food amazing. And the best thing is, it’s pretty easy to make.

First things first, you need these ingredients to feed six people:

A pound of dried penne pasta.

Salt.

Extra virgin olive oil.

Three-quarters of a pound of boneless chicken breast.

Black pepper.

A teaspoon of dried oregano.

Two cloves of minced garlic.

Three-quarters of a cup of half and half.

Eight ounces of cream cheese.

Half a cup of feta cheese, crumbled.

One tablespoon of lemon juice.

One teaspoon of lemon zest.

One and a half cups of cherry tomatoes, halved.

Half a cup of pitted olives, halved.

One chopped cucumber.

A quarter cup of chopped dill.

Chopped fresh parsley.

First, bring a pot of water to boil, and salt the water. Add the pasta and cook it to your desired texture.

While you’re cooking the pasta, heat a frying pan on medium heat. Add olive oil until it coats the base.

Rub salt, pepper and oregano onto the chicken breasts.

Fry the chicken breast strips on the frying pan for 12-16 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Take the chicken off the pan. When they’ve cooled down, cut them up.

If the chicken has absorbed the oil, then put some more on the pan. Add the minced garlic and cook it for one minute. Then add the half and half, the cream cheese and the feta. Stir this all around until the cheese melts. Add the lemon juice and the lemon zest.

Then add some salt and pepper (remember, there’s already salt and pepper on the chicken breasts, so don’t go overboard!)

Add the pasta, the tomatoes, olives, cucumber, dill and chicken. Stir this around until all the ingredients are warm.

Sprinkle on parsley and enjoy.

Most people will find this meal to be incredibly filling. But of course, others may want smaller portions and a side dish.

Luckily, there are many other greek Mediterranean side dishes that will complement this meal perfectly.

A side that would go really well with this dish is Kolokythakia Tiganita, or batter-fried zucchini.

To make this dish, all you need is a large zucchini, half a tablespoon of salt, eight ounces of bottled soda water, three-quarters of a cup of all-purpose flour, and some olive oil.

Begin by washing and drying the zucchini. Then cut off the ends, and slice it lengthwise into strips.

The strips should be around one-eighth of an inch thick. Rub the salt onto the zucchini strips and let them rest in a bowl for around an hour. Then pour away the liquid that the salt has extracted.

While the zucchini is drying, make a batter. First, fill a bowl with the soda water. Then slowly whisk in the flour.

Heat up the oil on a frying pan on high heat.

Pour the batter all over the zucchini. Place the zucchini in the frying pan. (It’s best to place them in with a fork so you don’t lose any batter.

Fry the zucchini for around two and a half minutes on each side.

Then drain excess oil on an absorbent paper towel. Lastly, serve it up!

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Source: Delish, The Spruce Eats