This creamy pasta with chicken and pesto is a restaurant-quality dish you can easily make at home. Fresh homemade tagliatelle is tossed with crispy bacon, aromatic pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and tender chicken breast for a luxurious weeknight dinner. The secret to this dish is using fresh pasta and reserving some pasta water to create a silky sauce that coats every strand perfectly. Serve with warm garlic bread for a meal that’ll impress the whole family.
Ingredients
- 2 pcs chicken breasts à 300 g
- 400 g homemade pasta tagliatelle
- 1.5 dl heavy cream
- 2 dl homemade pesto
- 1 package bacon
- Spring onion
- 10 pcs sun-dried tomatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Thyme
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Butter
Instructions
Start by making the pasta and place it in the refrigerator to rest. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Rub the chicken with salt, pepper, thyme, lemon juice, and olive oil. Make the pesto according to this recipe.
Quickly sear the chicken on each side over high heat in a frying pan with butter. Then transfer to an oven-safe dish and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast. The chicken is done when the thermometer reads 61°C.
Place the bacon on medium heat so it can cook slowly while the chicken is in the oven.
Roll out the tagliatelle with a pasta machine. Put a pot of pasta water on to boil. Chop the spring onion and sun-dried tomatoes.
When the pasta water is boiling and the chicken reaches 61°C, remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest while you cook the pasta. Check if the pasta is done after about 2 minutes.
Drain most of the water, reserving about 1 dl. Return the pasta to the pot you cooked it in along with the pasta water, then add the bacon, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, spring onion, cream, and the chicken that you've now cut into pieces.
Serve immediately with garlic baguettes as a side.
Notes
Use a meat thermometer for perfectly cooked chicken. Save some pasta water to get the right consistency for the sauce.
