Wine, Chicken and Pasta Night

July 2, 2011 - Wine, Chicken and Pasta Night

Weekend for LJ and I means a time for us to rest and just hang out. We tend to be really busy during the weekdays so a great way to spend time together is to eat at home! I made something for dinner that I knew LJ would love - Chicken Scallopini with Basil Pesto and Creamy Tomato Sauce Pasta. Scallopini is sauteed chicken or veal fillets that are pounded thin and dipped in egg and flour. Here's the recipe (let's start with the Chicken, then on to the pasta):

Chicken Scallopini with Basil Pesto

I started by doing the Basil Pesto since you can do this before hand and store it in the fridge.

Basil Leaves - One package

Garlic - Half a clove

Olive oil - 1 cup

Salt - 1 teaspoon (or add more if you want)

You need a bunch of basil for this sauce. Make sure you leave some for the pasta and garnish.

I did't need this much garlic. I used the rest of what I cut up for the pasta.

Put in a blender or food processor until it looks like this! Make sure there's no chunks of garlic or leaves of basil. It smells so good! You can put this on anything like bread, pasta, and meats. You can prepare this and store in a container for future use.

Now for the Chicken Scallopini (You cook this when you're ready to plate with the pasta and eat):

Chicken Breast Fillet - Pounded thin and seasoned with pepper and salt

Egg

Flour

Olive Oil

Prepare your flour and egg near your pan so it's easy to fry them up.

If you pounded it really thin, the chicken will cook really quickly. If it's brown like this, then it's done. This took 3 mins on each side too cook. Don't over cook or it will get tough.

Creamy Tomato Pasta

Olive Oil

Garlic - Minced, 1 clove

1 Can whole tomatoes

1/4 of a block of Cream Cheese

Salt

Pepper

1/4 cup Red Wine

Italian Seasoning

Fresh Basil (for the sauce and garnish)

I thought I would need the all purpose cream for the sauce but the cream cheese made it creamy already :)

Sautee garlic in olive oil until golden brown. After, add the canned tomatoes (break it up a bit with your wooden spoon) and simmer. Then, add cream cheese. Mix in the sauce with a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese.

Look at the sauce, it's a nice creamy red color. Add basil leaves to the sauce, Italian seasoning, wine, salt, and pepper. Just simmer for around 10 mins to make all the flavors come out.

Turn off heat and add cooked pasta! :)

Plate the chicken and basil sauce with creamy tomato pasta on the side with fresh basil leaves on top! YUMMMM! :)

My date! He brought the wine. Carlo Rossi Red Muscat. It was light and perfect with our meal.

It was a great night! :)

Hope you get to try this recipe! Enjoy it with your loved ones! :)

Cheers!