Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pesto Pasta

Summer is FINALLY here. That means a lot coming from someone who lives in Minneapolis. While this past winter certainly wasn't as bad as the year before, it's definitely nice to see the sun shining, flowers blooming, and smell the glorious smell of people grilling-out. Grilling is honestly one of my favorite summer past-times. I could do it everyday. And now that I've stepped up my culinary skills, grilling can go so much further than just burgers and macaroni salad. You can do veggies, chicken breasts, skewers, and more. It's all relatively simple, so I don't plan on blogging any of these meals - unless I come across something that has to be shared.

That's why I'm posting one of my new favorite recipes - Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pesto Pasta. I've posted a pesto pasta before, but this adds a fun twist - but both dishes are extremely easy, quick, and are a good way to impress your family and friends.

RECIPE
1 Box Penne Noodles
1 bottle of Sun-Dried tomatoes in olive oil
2 Chicken Breasts
Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Fresh Basil
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil to taste

DIRECTIONS
I already know that a mixer/chopper is on my Christmas list. Until then however, I have to resort to using my blender - which actually isn't all that bad. The first step is to make the pesto which is all of the ingredients except the noodles and chicken. You can pretty much just dump everything in as-is, except I chopped the garlic to help it out a bit. As much as I love garlic, no one wants a big chunk in their first bite. That's no way to make a good first impression.

Once you think you've mixed your sauce well enough, you can taste to see if anything needs to be added. This is where I added the extra olive oil. **NOTE** The sauce will taste stronger on your fork, than it will when finished. The noodles will absorb the flavor, so don't freak out if you think the taste is too strong. It not only helps all the ingredients come together, but it also helps the blender and keeps it from getting dry.

While you're mixing the sauce, you should also be cooking your chicken breasts. I just did this in a skillet, cooking both sides for about 5 minutes each. I then cut them into small chunks and added to the cooked pasta with the sauce. You should mix them all together and then test for taste. I added more olive oil here as well. 

Garlic cheese bread and a salad are nice sides to add to this dish as well.