Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta . . . It's What's for Dinner

In looking through my refrigerator the other day, I realized I had some pesto, chicken breast, sautéed onions, and pasta that needed to be used, so I decided to make chicken pesto pasta and found the recipe below on allrecipes.com.

Before you read the recipe, let me just say that I don't often follow recipes to the T. I usually view them as suggestions and add my own twists to make the dish my own. That's what I did tonight. I'll make this dish again, but next time, I'll grill the chicken breast rather than cook it on the stove. Additionally, I used pre-made pesto rather than making it from scratch, but I would make it from scratch in the future. I used vegetable broth rather than chicken broth and did not include sugar or salt or extra pine nuts.

Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:


Pesto
2 cups fresh basil
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil

Marinade
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
2 Tablespoons dried basil
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 16 oz package dry penne pasta
5 Tablespoons olive oil divided
1 large onion, diced
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 (8 oz) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place basil, garlic, Parmesan, pine nuts, and tomato in a food processor. Gradually add olive oil, while pulsing, until mixture is smooth and creamy.
2. In a bowl, stir together chicken broth, 1 cup white wine, dried basil, oregano, and minced garlic. Stir in chicken pieces.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, and sprinkle with sugar. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, and cook about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and marinade. Stir in 1/2 cup white wine. Simmer chicken pieces, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
5. Add pasta and pesto to the skillet. Stir in cream, and cook until the sauce is thickened. Adjust salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan.