beni
Tasty Apprentice
On a lazy Sunday, I stumbled upon a homemade pesto jar in my cupboard! 
It brought back sweet memories, so I decided to make some chicken pesto pasta, which is the perfect comfort dish! 
Ingredients
* 1 pound gemelli, cavatappi, or rotini pasta
* 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves packed
* ⅔ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or regular parmesan
* ½ cup grated pecorino cheese
* ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
* ⅓ cup pine nuts
* 3 medium garlic cloves peeled
* 10 ounces cherry tomatoes whole or halved
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* Red pepper flakes optional
* Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425º. Blend garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino, and basil in food processor for pesto then set it aside.
2. Place chicken on baking sheet, drizzle with balsamic, and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425°F for 17–21 minutes until fully cooked. Let cool, then shred with fork.
3. When the pasta is almost done, save ½ cup of the pasta water and boil the pasta until it's al dente.
4. Pasta should be drained. Add pesto, tomatoes, chicken, and optional red pepper flakes. Toss. To moisten as needed, add a splash or all of the pasta water. Throw once more. Serve immediately!
It brought back sweet memories, so I decided to make some chicken pesto pasta, which is the perfect comfort dish! * 1 pound gemelli, cavatappi, or rotini pasta
* 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves packed
* ⅔ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or regular parmesan
* ½ cup grated pecorino cheese
* ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
* ⅓ cup pine nuts
* 3 medium garlic cloves peeled
* 10 ounces cherry tomatoes whole or halved
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* Red pepper flakes optional
* Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425º. Blend garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino, and basil in food processor for pesto then set it aside.
2. Place chicken on baking sheet, drizzle with balsamic, and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425°F for 17–21 minutes until fully cooked. Let cool, then shred with fork.
3. When the pasta is almost done, save ½ cup of the pasta water and boil the pasta until it's al dente.
4. Pasta should be drained. Add pesto, tomatoes, chicken, and optional red pepper flakes. Toss. To moisten as needed, add a splash or all of the pasta water. Throw once more. Serve immediately!
Definitely adding this to my dinner menu for the week. Thanks for sharing the recipe! 
