Pesto Chicken Pasta

Pesto Chicken Pasta

One of my favorite sandwiches during summer is a Capri sandwich. The combination of fresh Mozzarella and pesto on ciabatta bread... oh my yearning for summer makes my mouth water.

So I decided since Mother Nature has been testing all our nerves that I would take the idea of a fresh Capri sandwich and turn it into a hot pasta dish. The end result was something that may become a simple quick fix on the dietary train.

Any type of pasta would work (I'm thinking next time I'll try spaghetti) but for this dish I grabbed whole grain penne. Now you can make your own pesto's, but since I am lacking some serious kitchen credits (equipment) I'm sticking with the pre-made. To round out the food pyramid I used chicken thighs to provide the missing protein aspect.

Recipe

Prep-time:20 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
1/2 box of pasta

4 table spoons of basil pesto

4 table spoons of tomato pesto

10 cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

1 table spoon of olive oil

2 cloves of diced garlic 
 

Start your water for the pasta. When water is boiling add pasta and let cook.

Place chicken in a skillet with garlic, salt and pepper and let cook in own juices. When at desired firmness set stove on warm and add tomato pesto covering the chicken all over.

Once the pasta is cooked and water is drained add olive oil to prevent sticking along with basil pesto and Parmesan cheese. Mix well. 

Place pasta on dish, add cherry tomatoes (do not cook they will become mushy, the heat of the pasta and chicken will bring to desired firmness) and chicken. Note: I cute my chicken into small chunks for easier storage of left overs.

Serve and enjoy!

Note: This actually made great leftovers, simple and quick reheat in the microwave for lunch!