Grilled Chicken Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

I L-O-V-E PASTA! That is right, I used the four letter word! Love, Love, Love! Who doesn't love pasta? I don't know a single soul that doesn't but when I came across this recipe last week while surfing the web, It was love at first site! It was also love at first bite when I made this dish for my family this week. If you don't LOVE pasta then at least try this dish and you may fall head over heels for this dish like I did. This is definitely a dish that I will be making and serving more often at dinner time! Another perk about this pasta dish is that it is kid friendly. My kids have decided that they also LOVE pasta too! They licked their dishes clean....seriously... no exaggerations and asked for more. What 5 and 2 year old do that?

There are several other things that I LOVE about this pasta. I LOVE that the chicken is grilled and not fried. You can either grill your chicken on the BBQ grill or grill it in a saucepan with a little dab of Olive Oil. Also, I LOVE the taste of herbs.. This dish calls for parsley and basil. Two of my favorite herbs! I didn't have fresh herbs on hand so I just used the dried herbs that I had on hand and it worked out beautifully!! This would be a wonderful dish to serve at a dinner party. Your guests will truly oooo and awwww over your culinary skills if you serve this! It would also be a wonderful dish to serve for a special occasion like an anniversary, birthday or Holiday dinner like Valentines Day. This Pasta is ever bit as good as something you might eat at the Olive Garden or another Italian Restaurant! Hope you fall in LOVE with this dish like I did! Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Pasta with a Creamy Tomato Sauce

picture and recipe courtesy of KevinandAmanda.com

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Montreal Steak seasoning

1/2 pound penne pasta

2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chicken broth

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 to 1 tsp salt & pepper (to taste)

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped Or 1 teaspoon of dried parsley (if you don't have fresh on hand)

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded or 2 teaspoons dried basil (if you don't have fresh on hand)

Directions:

Rinse chicken breasts in cold water. Layer between sheets of wax paper and pound to even thickness. Season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning. Preheat grill for medium high heat, lightly oil grate, and grill chicken breasts on medium high heat for 6-8 mins each side. OR heat 2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter and olive oil is nice and hot, add chicken breasts and cook 5 mins each side. Set chicken aside to cool. In a large pot, boil water with 1 tbsp salt. Add 1/2 lb penne pasta noodles and boil according to package directions. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender, but do not let the garlic turn brown (about 3-5 mins). Add the chicken broth to the pan and allow to reduce by half. Meanwhile, slice chicken. Once the broth has reduced, stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low. Chop the parsley and basil, add to sauce and mix well. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir well to coat. Serve pasta on plates, top with sliced chicken.

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Ashlee, The Culinary Queen