To make this Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta, start by making your sun-dried tomato pesto. Add garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, olive oil and spices to a small food processor and pulse until well combined but still a bit chunky. Set aside.
Next, add flour and dredge spices to a medium sized bowl and stir the ingredients together to combine. Cut your chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and lightly dredge in the flour mixture, making sure all sides of your chicken are covered. Shake off any excess flour and move to a large plate to sit until all of your chicken has been coated and save your unused dredge flour.. you will need that later.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and once boiling, add in pasta and cook based on package instructions. While you pasta is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once your oil is heated, add the chicken pieces to the skillet in a single layer and turning often, cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Next, add in the pancetta to the skillet and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes, stirrying often. Once cooked, remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the grease from the pancetta in the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and once butter has melted, add 4 tablespoons of the reserved unused dredge flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the heavy cream and bring to a low boil. Add in the parmesan cheese, spices and sun-dried tomato pesto and still well to combine. Once your pasta has cooked, drain and add to your pesto sauce, along with the chicken and pancetta. Serve with crusty bread and an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese.