Cremini Chicken Marsala over Pesto Pasta

This is one of those recipes that grew from a glimpse into the fridge to see what was there and a lightning bolt of inspiration. I was already planning a pesto with fresh basil, and I decided to make a bruschetta (which ended up becoming a pesto bruschetta).

We had lots of cremini mushrooms begging to be eaten, so I decided to make cremini chicken "marsala" -- this may be a bit of a misnomer, since I have never made a marsala and don't have marsala wine, but it was fantastic anyway!

Cremini Chicken Marsala

olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
red wine
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 onion, sliced thinly

Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic until golden. Add the mushrooms and a splash of red wine.

If needed, add more wine and oil, a splash at a time. Saute mushrooms until the color is just right.

Set the mushrooms aside, leaving the juice in the pan. Add onion and saute till translucent. Then add chicken.

Once the chicken is cooked, add the mushrooms back in. Add a splash of red wine and a little bit of water to deglaze the pan and create a gravy. Saute together until the sauce thickens (it's ok to add a bit of flour if it just won't thicken).

Remove from heat and serve with pesto pasta.

Pesto Pasta
basil leaves
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves
freshly grated parmesan
16 oz pasta, cooked to al dente

Combine all ingredients, except for pasta, into the food processor. Blend until you achieve the texture you like and then stir into the pasta.

This was so tasty and delicious. Can something be tasty AND delicious? I submit that it can be all that AND delectable.

Please enjoy.

Proudly linking this up to these linky parties -- please check them out and find some fantastic menu inspirations!