{Creamy Pesto Pasta and Chicken}

I love any excuse to cook with pesto. This was a pretty quick meal, and the sauce was amazing.

Chicken:
4-5 chicken breasts
1/2 C flour
1/8 tsp salt
dash pepper
3 Tbs olive oil

Sauce: 
1 (6.25 ounce) jar pesto 
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 C milk
1 C chicken broth
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs butter

Pasta:
1 box bowtie, penne or corkscrew pasta


Cut the chicken breasts into large chunks and set them aside. Toss together the flour, salt and some pepper into a shallow dish. 
Heat a large skillet up over medium high heat. Add 3 Tbs olive oil to the pan and let it get hot. 
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and then place them in the hot pan. Turn the heat down to medium low. Let the chicken get golden brown on the bottom. Then turn them over and let them get brown on the other side. When the chicken is all cooked through, remove from the pan onto a clean plate. Cover with foil and set aside. 
While your chicken is cooking, boil some water and cook the pasta according to the directions of the package.
Pour one cup of chicken broth into the hot pan that the chicken was cooking in. Add 1 cup of milk, using a whisk to break up any crispy chicken leftovers on the bottom of the pan. Add just a little less than a cup of pesto and one block of softened cream cheese. Give it a stir. The cream cheese will start to melt down into the sauce. It may be chunky at first, but don't worry. 
Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking it occasionally. Let simmer for about 5 minutes or until it thickens up a bit. 
Remove the pan from the heat and add 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 Tbs butter. If your sauce is too thick, add a little milk to thin it out. 
Serve over hot pasta with the chicken. 


Recipe Source: Jamie Cooks it Up