The Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta that Saved My Bacon!
My in-laws are here visiting and I love cooking for them because they are so sweet and really love the meals and enjoy my cooking (which I think doesn’t really have anything to do with me, and everything to do with finding amazing, 5-star recipes on the internet and Cook’n!) With our lemon tree still chock-full of lemons, I had been raving about my favorite dinner meal to make with fresh lemons: chicken piccata. My favorite part is the buttery, garlic lemon sauce with lots of capers in it. The flavor combination is just out of this world, in my opinion!
I was all set to make a lovely Sunday dinner--I had my rolls baked, asparagus was out on the sheet pan, seasoned and ready to be roasted; my buttery, garlic angel hair pasta was in the Instant Pot ready to rock-and-roll; I even had a pie baked and ready to be enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. All that was left was the star of the show--the chicken piccata. But I’m sure you’ve seen this movie before--of course it can’t all go as well as I had hoped. I could not for the life of me find the jar of capers that I needed to knock this meal out of the ballpark. What is a PB&J without the PB? What’s a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips? I wasn’t going to do this meal justice at all without the capers, so here’s the part where one might begin to panic--it’s basic human instinct: fight or flight.
Admittedly some of my best work in many facets of my life comes from this under pressure situation where I have to find a solution stat! My heart rate increases, pupils dilate, I’m thinking, “I’ve got 7 very hungry people who are counting on a delicious meal--what have you got, Mare?” Since I’ve been searching for the dang capers the last 30 minutes, I’ve basically got the whole pantry and fridge memorized so I knew I had chicken, pesto, cheese and half a box of rigatoni noodles, so I knew there had to be something yummy I could make with that base.
Lo and behold, a new fantastic, soon-to-be family staple emerged from the ashes of the potential failed dinner fiasco--creamy pesto chicken emerged from the stainless steel pan, it’s fragrant steam giving me hope while making it that hopefully it would taste as good as it smells.
I think pesto is the magic sauce from the need-a-killer-last-minute-meal gods. It can turn almost anything around, in my opinion. You’ve got to try this recipe today and I am sure you will fall in love with it too.
What are some of your favorite meals that have been derived from these states of panic where something did not turn out the way you thought it would? Turn on David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” song as you reflect and please feel free to share your stories in the comments below.
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
freshly cracked pepper
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
3 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
Directions:
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I was all set to make a lovely Sunday dinner--I had my rolls baked, asparagus was out on the sheet pan, seasoned and ready to be roasted; my buttery, garlic angel hair pasta was in the Instant Pot ready to rock-and-roll; I even had a pie baked and ready to be enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. All that was left was the star of the show--the chicken piccata. But I’m sure you’ve seen this movie before--of course it can’t all go as well as I had hoped. I could not for the life of me find the jar of capers that I needed to knock this meal out of the ballpark. What is a PB&J without the PB? What’s a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips? I wasn’t going to do this meal justice at all without the capers, so here’s the part where one might begin to panic--it’s basic human instinct: fight or flight.
Admittedly some of my best work in many facets of my life comes from this under pressure situation where I have to find a solution stat! My heart rate increases, pupils dilate, I’m thinking, “I’ve got 7 very hungry people who are counting on a delicious meal--what have you got, Mare?” Since I’ve been searching for the dang capers the last 30 minutes, I’ve basically got the whole pantry and fridge memorized so I knew I had chicken, pesto, cheese and half a box of rigatoni noodles, so I knew there had to be something yummy I could make with that base.
Lo and behold, a new fantastic, soon-to-be family staple emerged from the ashes of the potential failed dinner fiasco--creamy pesto chicken emerged from the stainless steel pan, it’s fragrant steam giving me hope while making it that hopefully it would taste as good as it smells.
I think pesto is the magic sauce from the need-a-killer-last-minute-meal gods. It can turn almost anything around, in my opinion. You’ve got to try this recipe today and I am sure you will fall in love with it too.
What are some of your favorite meals that have been derived from these states of panic where something did not turn out the way you thought it would? Turn on David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” song as you reflect and please feel free to share your stories in the comments below.
One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe - Budget Bytes
This super lush and Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta is perfect for busy weeknights. Everything cooks in one pot and is done in under 30 minutes!
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 416
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 416
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
freshly cracked pepper
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
3 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch pieces. Add the butter to a deep skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the chicken is slightly browned on the outside.
2. While the chicken is cooking, mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the skillet with the chicken and continue to sauté for one minute more.
3. Add the uncooked pasta and chicken broth to the skillet with the chicken and garlic. Stir to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth up to a boil.
4. Once the broth comes to a full boil, give the pasta a quick stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta simmer over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed. Stir the pasta briefly every two minutes as it simmers, replacing the lid quickly each time.
5. Once the pasta is tender and most of the broth absorbed, add the milk, cream cheese (cut into chunks), and pesto. Stir and cook over medium heat until the cream cheese has fully melted into the sauce. Finally, add the grated Parmesan and stir until combined.
6. If using, add the fresh spinach and sliced sun dried tomatoes. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then remove the pasta from the heat. Top the pasta with freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper, then serve.
Notes*Cream cheese usually has markings on the outer wrapping showing lines for each ounce. Use this as a guide to cut three ounces from the block.
Source: budgetbytes.com
2. While the chicken is cooking, mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the skillet with the chicken and continue to sauté for one minute more.
3. Add the uncooked pasta and chicken broth to the skillet with the chicken and garlic. Stir to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth up to a boil.
4. Once the broth comes to a full boil, give the pasta a quick stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta simmer over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed. Stir the pasta briefly every two minutes as it simmers, replacing the lid quickly each time.
5. Once the pasta is tender and most of the broth absorbed, add the milk, cream cheese (cut into chunks), and pesto. Stir and cook over medium heat until the cream cheese has fully melted into the sauce. Finally, add the grated Parmesan and stir until combined.
6. If using, add the fresh spinach and sliced sun dried tomatoes. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then remove the pasta from the heat. Top the pasta with freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper, then serve.
Notes*Cream cheese usually has markings on the outer wrapping showing lines for each ounce. Use this as a guide to cut three ounces from the block.
Source: budgetbytes.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.flickr.com
- www.snappygoat.com
- www.budgetbytes.com
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
