Pasta Pesto with Chicken & Grape Tomatoes

Chicken, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , , ,

Pasta Pesto with Chicken & Grape Tomatoes

I love pesto!  We have an herb garden in the summer and I use the basil all summer long for caprese salads but when the summer is over, I pick all the basil and make huge batches of pesto.  It stores great in the freezer.  I like to freeze it in an ice tray and then put the pesto cubes in a zip lock bag in the freezer.  Then you can easily grab as much pesto as you need. 

Pesto is great not just on pasta.  It is a great topping for pizza, add a cube or 2 to soup on the stove, add a smear to your sandwich, put a dollop on grilled chicken or fish……..the list goes on.  I do find when I serve it with pasta that adding some of the pasta water to the pan, makes it really creamy.

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Pasta Pesto with Chicken & Grape Tomatoes
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups of Basil
  • 2 Cloves of Garlic
  • ⅔ Cup olive oil (& 1 Tbsp for chicken)
  • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (can be done in the oven or a pan on the stove)
  • ⅓ Cup Grated Parmesan or Romano
  • 1 Pound Boneless Chicken, cubed
  • ½ Cup Flour
  • 1 Cup Grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 Pound Pasta of your choice (I like Penne or Rotini for this)
  • Extra Grated Cheese for serving
Instructions
  1. Make the Pesto:
  2. Place the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Mix quick. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until well blended. Add the cheese, blend again, season with salt and pepper. (Left overs can be frozen up to 2 months).
  3. Meanwhile, place the flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt & pepper. Season the chicken and dredge in the flour. Heat a non-stick saute pan with the 1 Tbsp of olive oil (add more if necessary) and add the chicken to the pan. Let it sit there without stirring for 5 minutes so that the chicken gets a nice crust on it. Cook until done, about 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, reserving the pasta water.
  5. Add the tomatoes to the pan with the chicken and season with salt & pepper. Add ¾ cup pasta water to the pan and let it reduce for 3-4 minutes. Add the pasta to the pan and enough pesto to cover. Add a little more pasta water if necessary.
  6. Serve with grated cheese.