Pesto Chicken and Pasta

You’ll be amazed at how fast this dish comes together.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, boneless skinless

Garlic salt – I use Lowry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley

1 pound bowtie pasta

½ cup pesto (see below for recipe or use packaged)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

4T butter

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1.      Sprinkle the garlic salt over the chicken and grill. 

2.      While Chicken is grilling cook the pasta

3.      Pour the cream and butter in a sauce pot and heat over medium heat till the butter melts, stirring frequently. When the butter is melted add the pesto and stir to combine. Lower the heat to low to just keep warm.

4.      When the pasta is ready and the chicken is done remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.

5.      Mix the pasta and ¾ of the sauce in a bowl.

6.      Serve the remainder of the sauce over the chicken.

Pesto:

1 cup packed basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup olive oil (best quality you have)

¼ cup walnuts or pine nuts

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1T -  2T grated parmesan cheese

1.      Combine the basil, garlic, walnuts, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a mini chop or food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped.

2.      Stream the olive oil in slowly; there is usually a little hole to stream fluids into the bowl of the processor/mini chop. Keep an eye on the mixture. Stop when it forms a paste.

**Note – this pesto is made specifically for this recipe. If you want to make regular pesto for another use, stream more olive oil into the mixture until it is a loose paste.