Creamy Chicken with Spinach, Garlic and Shallots with Pesto Pasta

Creamy Chicken with Spinach, Garlic and Shallots with Pesto Pasta

Creamy Chicken with Spinach

Ingredients

1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into halves and gently pounded to even thickness

1 teaspoon McCormick® Grill Mates® Montreal Chicken Seasoning (if unavailable use 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper plus a 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, finely minced or run through a garlic press

1 shallot, halved, then thinly sliced

2/3 cup chicken bouillon

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 bag baby spinach (about 4 cups)

1 tablespoon butter

2/3 cup half and half

Ingredients for Pesto Pasta

3 cups extra wide egg noodles

1 and 1/2 teaspoons pesto sauce

1 teaspoon butter

Directions

Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each chicken seasoning or salt and pepper and bouillon powder. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Poke hole in bag of spinach, then cook spinach in microwave for about 1 minute 30 seconds. Check to see that spinach is wilted after 1 minute as microwave oven temperatures vary.

Melt butter in frying pan and add shallots and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.

Mix cornstarch with chicken stock. Increase heat to medium-high and add chicken stock. Cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 2 minutes.

Return heat to medium and stir in spinach, cream and the remaining chicken seasoning or 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper plus 1/4 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon. Simmer for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Serve with egg noodles.

Pasta Pesto

Cook egg noodles as directed. Drain. Return to pan. Mix in pesto sauce and butter. Serve along side or under chicken.