Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Pasta is often my go-to food when I’m in a hurry and need to churn out something quickly.  Like “10-15 minutes” quickly.  Pasta is one of those things that requires very little effort to make taste good.  Take my Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Scampi, for example.  Within 10 minutes you’ve got a dish that’s fit for any upscale restaurant.

A particularly busy day with the kids, I had 15 minutes before my husband was due home.  I did what I usually do in those cases:  Opened the fridge, looked around, my eyes settled on one particular ingredient, and then I brainstormed what I could combine with it to make something palatable.  In this case the ingredient that caught my eye was a jar of sun-dried tomato pesto.  That was easy:  Pasta.  Cream.  Creamy pasta.  Chicken.  Fresh basil.  Voila!  While the pasta boiled I chopped, sauteed, and simmered and within 15 minutes had a dish on the table that my husband assumed I had spend quadruple the time on (no to correct assumptions of this nature, right? ;)

Simple, fast and delicious, you and your entire family will enjoy this recipe for Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto.

What about sun-dried tomato pesto made from scratch, you ask?  Sure, we can definitely get to that at some point, but for now we’re focusing on a quick dish for a busy week-day evening.

Let’s get started so you can be eating and savoring within 15 minutes!

While the pasta is boiling, chop the onion and saute in the oil until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the diced chicken and cook until no longer pink.  Add the diced tomato and cook for a minute.  Mix the flour in the half-and-half and add it to the skillet.  Add the sun-dried tomato pesto and the salt.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce to the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet.  Toss to combine.  Add the basil leaves in last and toss to combine.  You can also use spinach leaves for those extra veggies.  Serve immediately with a little freshly ground black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

 

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: The Daring Gourmet, www.daringgourmet.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large boneless/skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 cup half and half mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Handful of fresh basil leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• 10 ounces fettuccine or pasta of choice, cooked al dente according to package directions

Instructions

1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and saute the onion until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.
4. Add the diced tomato and cook for another minute.
5. Add the half-and-half/flour mixture, pesto and salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss in the sauce to coat. Add the fresh basil leaves and toss to combine. (You can also toss in some fresh baby spinach leaves for extra veggies).
7. Serve immediately with some freshly ground black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

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