Date Night Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Date Night Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is the perfect combination of tender pasta, spicy Cajun chicken, crispy pancetta all brought together in an easy sun dried tomato pesto sauce. Robust, packed with flavor and ready in just 30 minutes, this is one easy chicken dinner that will soon become the perfect "staying in is the new going out" date night dinner in!
Ingredients
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- 10 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in oil .. do not drain the oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder or red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Cajun Chicken Dredge
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 teaspoon garlic powder
Date Night Pasta
- 2 pounds chicken breasts .. cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
- 10 Ounces Pasta, any shape
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces pancetta diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons reserved dredge flour
- 8 ounces pinot grigio wine
- 6 ounces heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 1 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- crusty bread .. optional but highly suggested
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
EXPERT TIPS
- If you love sun dried tomatoes like it do, make extra sun dried tomato pesto to use on sandwiches, bruschetta or even mixing in with roasted veggies.
- Pick any style or shape of pasta you like for this chicken dinner recipe. There are no rules!
- Sometimes pancetta can be hard to find. I usually am able to grab some up from my deli section but feel free to substitute the pancetta with bacon if it is easier.
- I am a huge fan of grating my parmesan cheese by hand but feel free to grab whatever cheese makes you happy.