Chicken Pesto Pasta (with gluten-free option)

This cold winter weather has me desperately craving flavors of summer, how about you? Basil is my all-around favorite culinary herb and basil pesto is like biting into summer for me. Last night having had my fill of old man winter, I decided to cook up my own weather. My Chicken Pesto Pasta is a variation of a recipe I saw on Youtube several months back. For the last 6 months, I have been scouring around on line for some gluten-free inspiration since I have been trying to eat wheat-free. When I stumbled upon this one, I knew it would be great. Since then, I have made it several times and made notes along the way so I can tweak the recipe to perfection. The secret to this delicious dish, besides good pesto, is decent gluten-free pasta. Believe me I have tried many brands and this one is my favorite, hands down. Many of them are grainy or sticky. I find the Bionaturae brand to be so similar to wheat pasta that my family didn’t even know if was gluten-free. And they are noodle experts!

If you need to bite into the hope of summer, give this recipe a try this week.  If you would like taste some of my other gluten-free (but you’ll never miss it) recipes, join me on Sunday, January 31st in our cooking classroom for Gluten-free Recipes by Angie. Visit our website and click on the “events” tab to sign up.

Eat well this new year,

Angie

Ingredients

• 12-16 oz package of pasta (I used elbows)
• 3 boneless chicken breast halves (8 oz each)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 Tbs olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
• ¼ cup basil pesto
• ¼ cup chopped green onions
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and set aside. In a small bowl, soak tomatoes in ½ cup hot water for at least 15 minutes, drain and pat dry. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces and salt and pepper to preference. Working in two batches over medium-high heat, add chicken to a large skillet or saucepan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Add more oil to the pan if necessary to prevent sticking and repeat with second batch of chicken. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, add garlic and tomatoes to the pan. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in pesto and green onions, saute for 1-2 minutes more. Add chicken broth and return chicken and pasta to the pan. Stir to incorporate. Remove pan from heat and top with parmesan cheese and lemon zest before serving. Makes 4 entrée size servings.

   To make this recipe gluten-free

3. Choose a gluten-free pasta. My personal favorite is “bionatrae” brand which is made mostly with rice flour. It is available in Eckert’s Country Store.