Chicken With Mushrooms and Pesto over Penne

Chicken with Mushrooms and Pesto over Penne
Honestly, there is nothing very pretty about a photo of this dish, but the flavors were amazing.  Rarely can we go wrong with pasta in our house but this one really garnered a lot of approval.  Personally, I could just eat the pesto sauce with a spoon so if you have time to make your own fresh pesto it really is worth that extra step.  It takes no time to throw those few ingredients in the food processor.

• 2 Tablespoons of EVOO
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes - based on your level of desired heat
• 12 ounces of sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup basil pesto (I made fresh but you can use store bought if you absolutely must)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or more if needed
• 1 pound penne pasta
• freshly grated Parmesan for topping

 Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and sun dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes.  Saute for a couple of minutes and add mushrooms.  Add salt.  Saute until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are soft and have released their liquid.  Add garlic, pesto and milk.  Bring to a quick boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring until everything is well combined.

While chicken is cooking, prepare pasta according to package directions.  Serve chicken over pasta.  Top with Parmesan, extra pesto or fresh basil.