Grilled Chicken Penne with Pesto Cream Sauce

A mouth-watering pasta dish made in a jiffy…

📝 Ingredients

• 250 g penne pasta
• 200 g mini chicken breast fillets or strips
• juice of 1 lemon
• olive oil
• 1 C (250 ml) fresh cream
• 200 ml basil pesto
• freshly ground salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• grated Parmesan cheese to serve

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
2. 2Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then rub with a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil.
3. 3Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot and grill the chicken pieces evenly on all sides, or until cooked through. Slice into bite-size pieces and set aside.
4. 4Heat the cream in a large heavy-based frying pan until simmering. Continue to simmer until reduced by one third. Remove from the heat, add three quarters of the pesto and whisk until well combined.
5. 5Drain the pasta, but don’t rinse. Add the pasta and chicken to the sauce and mix until well combined. Season to taste.
6. 6Spoon into bowls, top with a dollop of the remaining pesto and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
7. 7Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.