Pasta With Chicken, Mushrooms And Pesto Cream
Why I Love This Recipe
This is something I winged, so the measurements below are to the best of my ability!
Ingredients You'll Need
8 oz. fettuccini noodles
Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
5 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cream:
1 cup half and half or whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
olive oil
Directions
To make pesto:
Process toasted pine nuts (to toast, either put in a hot pan on stove and turn lightly a few times, for a couple minutes; or toast on a cookie sheet in the oven for a few minutes) and garlic cloves in food processor. Add basil leaves and process some more. Add parmesan cheese, and process until everything is combined. Slowly pour in olive oil, while continuing to process. Keep mixture in food processor.
For chicken: Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
Meanwhile, cook fettuccini until al dente.
In a saucepan, heat butter over medium-low until melted. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are done. Slowly pour in half and half. Heat until scalding, but make sure it doesn't boil. Continue stirring sauce over low heat, as it thickens.
Add 1/2 cup of the cream to the food processor with the pesto. Pulse process the pesto until it combines with the cream. Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and heat through. Serve over hot fettuccini.