Chicken & Tortellini with Pesto
I LOVE pesto. I need to buy a food processor so I can start making it at home, but for this recipe I just used store bought pesto and it was still SO GOOD, but please feel free to make your own if you can. Between the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheese filled tortellini this dish will have you going back for seconds, or in my case thirds (fourths if I have to be really honest).
Growing up in a huge Italian family, we ate pasta for literally every other meal, so be prepared for a lot of pasta posts.
This recipe will most likely have you feeling like a professional chef when you serve it to your family or friends. It tastes and looks like a true Italian dish, but is so simple to make. When everything is prepared, you just toss it all into a big bowl and serve!
When I serve chicken with pasta, I like to pre-cube it rather than just laying it on top, that way it mixes into the pasta well and can soak up all of the yummy flavors of the sauce (and you don't have to serve a knife with dinner, because HELLO everyone loves less dishes). Season the chicken with salt and pepper - that's it!
Heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté garlic until lightly golden brown. Add the chicken and cook through. Whenever I cook chicken I like to turn the heat up the last couple minutes, so it gives it a nice crispy edge.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the tortellini according to package.
Once the chicken is done, add sun-dried tomatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes, or both! As you can see I opted for both, I love tomatoes, probably way too much - I eat them with everything. My fiancé thinks I am gross. Let them cook a bit, this allows them to soften up and really brings the flavor out.
Add tortellini, pesto, chicken, and the tomatoes to a large bowl and toss together.
Mamma Mia thats some good looking pasta! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
One package tortellini
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 large chicken breasts
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Pesto - homemade or store bought, the amount is up to you. I probably like way more pesto than the average person
Cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes (again the amount on these is your preference - I used a lot of both, pictured above)
Directions:
Cube chicken into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. Cook until the garlic is a light golden brown and fragrant. Add chicken. Cook through and then turn the heat to high for the last couple minutes to get that nice crispy brown outside.
Cook tortellini according to package.
Once the chicken is done, turn the heat to low and add the tomatoes. Stir them in and allow them to cook an additional 3-5 minutes. This allows the tomatoes to soften and the flavors to come out.
Once everything is done add the chicken, tomatoes, tortellini, and pesto into a large bowl and toss. Serve immediately.
Optional: serve with parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.