Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Submitted by Cooking in Missouri

"Excellent pasta dish! Must try it, you'll love it!"

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 lb pasta (penne, linquini or bow ties)
• 3 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• shredded parmesan cheese (to garnish)

directions

1. Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.
2. In large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Brown chicken breasts on both sides until nicely golden and cooked through, about 8-9 minutes each side. Remove from pan and cut into 1/2 pieces.
4. Pour out drippings from pan but don't wipe the pan out. In the same pan, melt 1/4 cup butter on medium heat. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and dash of white pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Slowly stir in the parmesan cheese into a creamy mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in the pesto sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the chicken pieces for about 3 minutes.
5. Serve with breadsticks.
6. Serve chicken and sauce over the hot noodles.
7. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper (optional).

Reviews

[Misti W.]

Great recipe! My boyfriend said one of the best dishes I ever made! I did add a third tablespoon of basil pesto and one tablespoon of sun dried tomato pesto since we had some on hand. Will definitely make this again!

 

[shaneman2878]

Amazing taste! I added pine nuts, and less pasta. Sometimes, if you add the entire 1lb of pasta, it can become somewhat dry. I prefer to use about 1/2lb of pasta, or to make some extra sauce. I absolutely love this recipe!

 

[Cooknmom]

I really loved this dish, and so did the rest of the family! I didn't have all the heavy cream called for, so I used 2% milk to make up for all but 1/4 cup of the heavy cream. It was still wonderful, though I wouldn't go any lower on the milk fat.

 

[krnwife]

Really simple to make. Instead of using chicken breast, I like to use rotisserie chicken. Saves a lot of time. I also don't use that much butter - only 2 tablespoons.