Tomato, Pesto and Chicken Fettucini

This recipe was on regular rotation in my house. It's quick, easy and utterly delicious. A comfort food, especially on cold nights. This was one of the recipes that got chucked so I had to try to remember it and basically re-create it. The original recipe calls for pancetta instead of chicken and personally, I prefer it that way but alas, I had no pancetta in the fridge when I went to cook this the other day. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. The pictures do not do it justice so just give it a try and see for yourself. :)

Recipe (serves 2 big servings or 4 smaller)

1 chicken breast, chopped however you like it
1 punnet of coloured tomatoes (if your grocery store doesn't sell these, cherry tomatoes are fine)
1 heaped tbsp of Genovese pesto (basil based pesto)
1 cup of chicken stock
1/2 cup of cream
Olive oil to drizzle and fry
Fettucini

Method

1. Chop your tomatoes into halves and lay out face up on a baking tray. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and put into a 180 degree oven for roughly 10 minutes or until they are slightly wilting.

2. Cook your chicken in a frying pan and then take out and set aside.

3. Combine the pesto and chicken stock in frying pan and stir over a medium heat until all combined. (Use your own judgement when it comes to the stock. The original recipe called for 1 cup but I always put a bit less as I found it never reduced enough for my liking).

4. Put the fettucini on to boil.

5. Add the cream into the pesto and stock mix and combine thoroughly. Bring it up to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and let the mix thicken up.

6. The tomatoes should be done by now so pull them out and set them aside.

7. Once the fettucini is nearly cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly, mix the tomatoes and chicken into the sauce.

8. When the fettucini is cooked, strain and add to the frying pan. Mix it all up gently over a low heat so that the sauce coats the fettucini.

9. Serve into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

10. If you were to use pancetta instead of chicken, follow the same method but fry the pancetta both sides and keep between paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Break into bits and add to the mix when you add the tomatoes. Keep a few bits aside to top the meal once served.

Note: The first few times I made this there was always a lot of sauce left over and it wasn't very thick. It still tasted good but I started reducing the chicken stock and tasting as I went to get the pesto/stock ratio right. Everyone is different so you can play to make it as thick or saucy as you like.

Let me know how you go if you try it. :)