I found this recipe quite recently, as I was wandering the internets for ideas on how to get the kind of rich flavours I’ve experienced at higher end restaurants. My first clue was fresh herbs, and then I found some blogs which talked about how wine brings out flavours.  Knowing next to nothing about wine or fresh herbs, I needed to follow some very explicit instructions.  In the end, I found this recipe which turned out to be almost exactly what I was looking for. It takes a bit of work, but I liked it so much I made it a second time for my parents just a week later.

Original recipe is here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Phenomenal-Chicken-and-Pasta-in-Creamy-Pesto-Sauce/

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 2 tbsp chicken/veggie broth
• ½ cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

Pesto:

• 1½ cloves garlic
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 3 tbsp walnuts
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ medium ripe tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Sauce/Pasta:

• ½ - ⅔ of a 16 ounce package dried pasta shells (or penne, or linguine)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1½ tsp sugar
• 5 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced (optional)
• 3 tbsp walnuts, crushed
• 1 tbsp flour
• ¼ cup white wine
• ½ cup heavy cream
• salt to taste

Directions:

Start the chicken marinating right away so that it can get as much flavour as possible. Mix all the ingredients of the marinade in a medium sized glass bowl, making sure the liquid covers the chicken, and set aside.

Add the ingredients of the pesto to a food processor, except the oil. Pulse the blade until they are well mixed, then pour in the oil a little at a time. This should result in a thin green paste. Set this aside as well.

(This can be done while starting the sauce) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes, or to taste. Drain, and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent it sticking.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, and sprinkle the sugar over top. Fry until the onions are soft. Stir in sun-dried tomato pieces and walnuts, and cook about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour evenly, and mix in for about a minute. Add the chicken marinade along with ½ cup white wine. Simmer and stir for about 8 minutes.

Add the pesto and cream to the pan, and cook until the sauce has thickened. Combine the pasta and sauce in the frying pan or pasta pot (whichever can hold the full volume), then serve with fresh parmesan, pepper, and salt.

Makes about 3-4 servings.

My alterations: The first time I made this, I left out the sun-dried tomatoes (hard to find), and halved the recipe. I also replaced pine nuts with walnuts because I happened to have them on hand. Pine nuts are the more common ingredient in classic pesto, but walnuts work just as well for the extra richness and crunchiness. The sauce was pronounced “a little cheesy” by the boyfriend, who dislikes sharp cheese.. but the plate was licked clean in the end. The second time I made it, the sun-dried tomatoes did provide a nice counter to the parmesan, but as a fan of cheese I don’t think they were necessary.

The original recipe calls for penne, which I find a bit too solid. I first tried pasta shells, which were wonderful for scooping up the sauce, and then linguine. The other change I made was to add flour to the sauce. This helped the sauce thicken, which was definitely needed for the linguine so the sauce would stick to the pasta.

For a lighter meal, I might increase the amount of pasta, substitute milk for the cream, and chop the chicken into smaller pieces. More servings, less sauce per serving. The sauce is so flavourful that it shouldn’t make a huge difference.

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