Thinking about the Pantry Goat I decided to see what I could cook this week with ingredients I already have on hand. This recipe came to mind immediately.
Store bought pesto is often lacking in flavor if you ask me. Homemade is always better. But sometimes you don't have time and/or it's not the right time of year to get good basil. So, in a pinch - store bought. Kirkland (Costco's brand) Pesto is quite good actually. Probably one of the best I've had. And it freezes well. I'm just saying. In case you have 4 THOUSAND gallons of it.
I added about 1/4 c heavy cream to my dish. Only because I thought it was in the recipe and only now as I type this I realize it was not. It's a nice add frankly.
I also used orecchiette pasta because it's what I had. I think it was almost better because sauce got caught in the little "ears" of the pasta.
Bottom line: The title sounds complicated, but it's an easy and tasty recipe that you could easily make on any week night.
Chicken Pesto Pasta in Creamy White Wine Sauce
Recipe from What's In the Pan
Serves 4
Main Ingredients:
- 2 T olive oil (divided)
- 2 T butter (divided)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless thin chicken breasts, or tenders (cut up in 1 inch chunks)
- 10 oz white mushrooms (thickly sliced)
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- salt and pepper
Pesto White Wine Sauce:
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ c chicken broth
- ½ c white wine
- ½ c basil pesto
- ½ c Parmesan cheese shredded
- ½ tsp salt
- chopped fresh basil (for garnish)
Pasta:
10 oz fettuccine pasta
Cooking chicken:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken chunks to the hot skillet, generously season them with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning right in the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on one side, flip once and cook for 2 additional minutes on the other side.
In order to not overcrowd the pan I cooked chicken in 2 rounds (this avoids overs-teaming it and ensures proper browning). Because the pan will be hotter on the second round, reduce cooking time for chicken to 2 minutes per side. Add a splash of olive oil to the second round of cooking chicken. Remove cooked chicken from skillet after each round.
Cooking mushrooms:
Add second tablespoon of olive oil and second tablespoon of butter to the now empty skillet. Once the pan is hot, add sliced mushrooms, generously season them with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning right in the skillet.
Cook the mushrooms on medium high heat without flipping for 2-3 minutes until mushrooms release liquid and get soft. Pressing down with spatula will speed up the process. Flip to the other side and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet.
Pesto White Wine Parmesan Sauce:
Add minced garlic to the now empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ cup wine and cook on medium for 2 minutes to reduce wine.
Now add ½ cup basil pesto and ½ cup chicken broth. On medium heat, mix everything to combine. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until the sauce reduces.
Reduce the heat and add salt and ½ cup of shredded Parmesan. Slowly mix it in until it's evenly incorporated with the sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Pasta:
In the meantime bring a large pot of salty water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions.
Drain the pasta, but do not rinse.
Putting it all together:
Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce, and stir until pasta is fully coated in sauce.
Add chicken and mushrooms. Mix with pasta and sauce. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
Garnish with fresh basil.
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