2 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed and tightly packed
4 cloves garlic
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
12 ozs penne pasta
Instructions
Make the pesto: Have a food processor at the ready. Put the basil into the food processor, and give it a quick whir to begin chopping the basil and make room for the other ingredients.
Add the garlic, and hit that food processor button again to get the cloves chopped up with the basil.
Add the remaining ingredients, and then puree to get everything well combined. Open the food processor, scrape the sides to get bits of garlic and basil that haven’t been incorporated, then give the processor a final whir.
Pre-heat an oven to 425 and start boiling the water to cook the penne.
Rinse and pat dry the chicken fillets. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pesto on both pieces of chicken, then pace the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.
As the chicken bakes, cook the chicken according to package instructions. When cooked to your liking, drain the pasta and toss with a few tables spoons of the pesto sauce, so that the pasta is well coated.
To serve, cut the chicken fillets in half. Plate a serving of the pasta, and place a piece of chicken on top of the pasta. Serve with additional pesto passed at the table.