Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Cream Sauce Pasta. Let’s talk about it! It’s decadent. It’s flavorful. It’s simply a beautiful dish that speaks volumes and delivers a perfect meal on any day of the week. Using some simple ingredients to transform your average Pasta dish to something special. No one will believe you created this in the comfort of your kitchen simply just loving what you like to do… Cooking!

I’m what you call a splurge grocery shopper. I look for different things to cook with that you wouldn’t normally use on an everyday menu. Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and that delicious looking Jar filled with Marinated Artichokes and Roasted Red Peppers just screamed my name upon seeing them. I didn’t know it at that point of time what I was going to make with it but that’s okay, in time it all came to me. Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Cream Sauce Pasta. I thought about it, I visualized the flavors and creating it was just as fun. No recipe needed, only knowledge and taste testing along the way.

Now I’m here sharing this recipe with you. I know my version is absolutely delicious but you can definitely tweak it to make it your own. If you want to try Chicken Thighs in place of Breast, go for it. If you want to try the Sauce over Shrimp or Salmon, go for it. It doesn’t matter what you choose as long as you love what you are doing and enjoy the final result.

Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Cream Sauce Pasta

Chicken served with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Cream Sauce over Pasta
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Pot
  • Skillet
  • Cutting Board
  • Mallet
  • Colander
  • Bowl

Ingredients
  

Protein

  • 3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast or 1 lb of Chicken Cutlets

Produce

  • 1 Large White Onion Sliced thinly.
  • 2 tbsp Minced Garlic

Dairy

  • 3 cups Heavy Cream
  • 3 tbsp Butter

Seasonings

  • 2 tbsp Garlic Herb Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper (Optional)

Pasta

  • 16 oz Package of Spaghetti or Pasta of your choice

Condiment

  • 1 Small Jar of Marinated Artichokes and Roasted Red Peppers (Optional)
  • 3 tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Oil

  • Olive Oil

Instructions
 

Prep Chicken

  • Slice each Chicken Breast in half. If you are using Chicken Cutlets, omit this step.
  • Using the Mallet, gently pound each Chicken Breast until it is about a 1/4 inch in thickness. If you are using Chicken Cutlets, this step may not be necessary. Suggestion: I placed Chicken Breast in a Ziplock back and sealed it before using the Mallet. It keeps cleaning up to a minimum. Place each Chicken Breast in a Mixing Bowl when finished.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of Garlic Herb Seasoning, Onion Powder, Cumin, a generous amount of Salt and Black Pepper into Bowl. Toss around being sure all the cutlets are seasoned. Set aside to allow seasonings to absorb into Chicken.

Pasta

  • Bring a Pot of Water, a generous pinch of Salt & 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil to a boil on High.
  • Gently drop your Pasta into boiling water and stir so that they do not stick together while cooking.
  • Cook Pasta according to directions on package.
  • When Pasta is done, drain water using Colander and set aside. I like to rinse in water for a few seconds to stop the cooking process so that the noodles will not continue cooking with the heat residue.

Meanwhile

  • Heat Skillet on Medium/High.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of Butter and a drizzle of Olive Oil to Skillet.
  • When Butter is sizzling, gently place Chicken Cutlets into Skillet and begin searing 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Continue this process until all Cutlets are seared. Be careful not to allow pan to burn while cooking since it will be used again to create Sauce.
  • Remove and place on plate and set aside.
  • Lower temperature to medium and add 2 tablespoons of Butter and an additional drizzle of Olive Oil in same Skillet.
  • Add Sliced White Onion and begin sautéing until they soften and become transparent.
  • Proceed to add Heavy Cream, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, Minced Garlic, 1 tablespoon Garlic Herb Seasoning, pinch of Salt & Pepper as well as a pinch of Cayenne (Optional) if you are looking for a little heat.
  • Continuously stir everything together to allow flavors to blend. Gently scrape up the bits of goodness on the pan from cooking Chicken Cutlets. This is added flavor. Cream will thicken as it is heated through. Taste again to be sure no added seasonings are needed.
  • Once Sauce begins to thicken, add your Chicken Cutlets directly into Sauce. Allow it to continue to simmer together for a few minutes to allow flavors to incorporate and sauce to continue to thicken.
  • Pasta should already be done at this point.

Suggestion:

  • I served sautéed Collard Greens and Onions along side of this to give it some added goodness. This is totally optional.

Serving

  • Place a generous amount of Pasta on top of plate. Place a Cutlet or two onto Pasta and smother the Sun Dried Pesto Cream Sauce over it. Add a couple spoonfuls of Marinated Artichoke and Roasted Red Peppers right on top. It sounds crazy but it was totally a tasty addition that went well with it all.
  • Serve with a slice of Garlic Bread and a glass of your favorite White Wine and Enjoy!
Keyword Chicken Cutlets, Cream Sauce, Pasta, Sun Dried Tomatoes