I came across a recipe that had Penne noodles (I had), pesto (also had), and chicken (yeah, I had that too!). After looking over the recipe, however, I noticed that it was supposed to have 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. No, no, no. I didn’t have it, and I didn’t feel like making a dish in summer that has that much cream in it. After only a slight moment of hesitation, I knew exactly what I was going to do. This is my version of the recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Gluten Free Penne with Chicken and Pesto
Author: Jeanine Friesen
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounces) package gluten free penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup gluten-free chicken broth
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 1 cup cut up broccoli (asparagus or peas would be good as well)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, or until al dente; drain (I like to rinse my gf pasta with hot water, just so it’s not too sticky).
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken and garlic until chicken is almost cooked.
- In a small bowl, stir together chicken broth, milk & cornstarch. Pour into skillet with chicken & garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add pesto and half of the Parmesan cheese.
- Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender. Stir in cooked pasta, toss to coat. Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve.
I’m also going to be adding this recipe to “Gluten-Free Wednesdays” , hosted by The Gluten-Free Homemaker. Check it out every Wednesday for different gluten-free recipe ideas.
Okay I need a fork or is that a spoon I need:) Oh Jeanine that looks ever so delicious!!
Thanks, Betty! A fork works really well.
AND…no onions! Perfect for you guys! 
Oh my that does looks good and what a great supper. Great job seeing you didn't know what was for supper..
That looks incredible! I want to reach through the screen and grab a mouthful right now. Hubby likes pasta even more than I do … he'd probably do flips over this one. I'll see if I can make a dairy-free version soon.
Thanks!
Shirley
Thanks, Shirley!
Let me know if you get around to it, and what changes you made.
I'd love to see a dairy free version done!
It looks super delicious. I would probably prefer it without the cream as well.
Oh yum! That's my kind of food. I need to make some pesto since I have a basil plant growing. I'll keep this recipe in mind. Thanks for participating in Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
I made it dairy-free tonight, and I can vouch that it's delicious! Unsweetened soy milk in place of the dairy milk, and then vegan Parmesan in place of the dairy Parmesan.
My brand of pesto was already dairy-free.
I was disappointed that I was out of broccoli to use, but I did try out peas and it worked beautifully! Very tasty. Thank you!
whats pesto (i know that sounds stupid)
Pesto can either be made at home, or bought in a jar at the store (near the pasta sauces in my grocery store). Here's a recipe to a homemade recipe, it is delicious! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pesto-Sauce/Detail.aspx
Wow! This was delicious! My kids are sooooo picky, but they all raved about it.
What is your favorite kind of gluten free pasta?
I’m not really sure if I have a favorite brand, but I do know that my family & I all like using corn pasta instead of brown rice pasta. We just like the texture quite a bit more.
Our favorite brand is Tinkyada.
Jeanine, this is an amazing gluten free pasta recipe. They sure are hard to come by! I could also make this easily vegetarian for my husband, and still do a meat version for my children and I. Love that!
Hope you come join in the fun! Feel free to post any of your pasta dishes.
I would be honored if you would share it on my Recipe of the Week #2 PASTA post! There is a gift card giveaway
http://familyfreshmeals.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe%20of%20the%20week
PS… thanks for making me super hungry at 10:00am in the morning! HA
Making it tonight for my moms birthday. Though I wish it said how many it serves, I’m cooking for 8!! Can’t wait to taste it!!
Making this right now with asparagus. It smells heavenly!!!! Can’t wait to tear into it
We have made this a number of times and absolutely love it! We double the pesto, use peas, and have even used turkey instead of chicken and it’s great! We use whatever noodle we have on hand (tonight we used garden rotini). Thank you for sharing such a yummy recipe!
That is awesome, Anneka! So glad that it’s a favorite.
I am off to Central Market to get some of this amazing pesto we sampled last weekend. After reading this recipe, I am convinced it will be fabulous in this dish. Now to make the choice between broccoli or asparagus… Thanks for tonight’s dinner extravaganza!!
That pesto sounds really good, Lyn! Hope you enjoyed your dinner! So, what did you decide on, broccoli or asparagus?
This really looks good, but I have a question. My friend is a Vegan and loves pasta. Can you substitute the chicken and Chicken stock with more veggies and Veggie stock?
Absolutely!! Totally flexible recipe.
How many servings is this?
I would think it would serve 4-6. I usually serve our family of 4, plus leftovers.
This dish is awesome! I made this for my family over the weekend and it was a BIG hit. Such great flavors blended together with a delicate sauce, and easy to make. Great comfort dish…will defilnitely make this again! Thanks!
How many people did you serve?
I served this dish for 4 adults with plenty for each and enough for leftovers. I think this dish could serve up to 6 people. It made alot!
I also added a little chopped Roma tomato and basil on top before serving. Yum!