Pesto with Chicken

Two posts today, since one is a side dish and the other is really just a variation on a prior recipe. First, the prior recipe, pesto - this time, with grilled chicken added. (You know, just like they do at Noodles and Company, hehe!) This turned out really good and was a nice way to make pesto a little heartier.

It's essentially the same recipe, only I used 3/4 lbs of pasta, and I grilled up two chicken breasts and added them in. Nevertheless, here it is again, updated:

2 oz fresh basil leaves
Garlic (2-3 cloves) (note that this makes a VERY garlicky sauce)
Olive oil (1/2 cup)
Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup grated)
2 chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets
Pasta - something with ripples or ridges to hold the sauce (3/4 pound)

Sprinkle your chicken cutlets with a little salt and pepper, then grill each cutlet until fully cooked. Slice into strips or cubes.

Cook the pasta (I used shells).

Put the garlic in the food processor first. Chop it up and scrape it off the sides as needed. Next, add the basil and do the same. Add the olive oil a 1/4 cup at a time - grind it up until it starts to make a paste, scraping off the sides as needed.

Put the paste into a large bowl and mix it with the parmesan. Add the pasta into the bowl and mix it until all the pasta is coated, then add chicken and do the same. Serve with more parmesan cheese as needed.

ALT: Noodles and Company style, with cavatappi and tomatoes!