Basil Pesto Chicken

Hi y'all! I know its Saint Patty's day and all.. But we are not making our Irish meal until tomorrow.. Earlier this week we decided to make our own pasta! We have tried our hand at it before, and have had fun with the whole process. We don't have a proper pasta rack, so just ignore the wine rack substitute..

Basil Pesto Chicken

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste

Pesto

1 2/3 cup shredded fresh basil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt

To make pesto, put basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Blend till smooth, scrape mixture into a bowl and stir in cheese.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts, turning once, for 8-10 minutes. Cut into small cubes. Add chicken and pesto to prepared pasta, season with pepper. Toss well to mix

Pasta Dough

1 3/4 cups flour

pinch of salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbsp olive oil

Stir together, flour and salt onto a counter* and make a well in the center with your fingers. Pour the eggs and oil into the well, then using the finger of one hand gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured counter until smooth. Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes. Roll out and feed through pasta machine. Hang pasta on rack to dry.

Eat and Enjoy!

*Chef's note: The hubs has yet to master the art of making pasta straight on the counter.. So we use a bowl to mix the flour and eggs.

Have you ever made your own pasta before?