Ally Special Dinner: Chicken Pesto Pasta

A couple of weeks ago, my best friend since 5th grade came to Baltimore to visit! I was SO excited, and we had SUCH a good time, exploring the sites and sounds of Federal Hill, and the Inner Harbor.

On her last day here, after snuggling with the kitties and saying farewell to my boys, Ally and I hopped in the car so I could drive her down to visit with another friend. (Hi, Beth!!!)

Our hour-long car ride consisted of memories, laughter and some interesting music (Duck Sauce's Big Bad Wolf... on repeat...). And as things tend to do, the conversation shifted to food, because... yum.

This is when she told me about one of her favorite meals to cook at home, simply called "Ally Special Dinner."

What, pray tell, is Ally Special Dinner? Well, as she described, it was chicken, roasted red peppers, farfalle (bow tie) pasta, pesto sauce, goat cheese and broccoli. Player... That sounded SO good, I could almost taste it. I couldn't wait to recreate this dish for my family.

So on March 21, when my tiny baby turned 1 and proved to be more of a big boy than a tiny baby, I decided to unleash this new recipe.

I cut 2 large (about 1.3 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts into cubes, and tossed them with salt, pepper, basil and crushed red pepper flakes. This wasn't part of the instructions, but I went with it.

I then sautéed about 5 cloves of garlic, chopped, in some olive oil. While that got going, I got a pot of boiling water started and I julienned some roasted red peppers, chopped up some blanched broccoli, and got my goat cheese, and pesto ready.

I threw the chicken in with the garlic, gave it a stir, and let that cook. I then added the peppers and broccoli to the mix. When the pasta was cooked, I threw that in with the chicken, then added the pesto and the goat cheese. Everything combined beautifully, and everything smelled insanely good.

I made too much, but I have to say, none of it went to waste. It was amazing as leftovers for lunch. Seriously good. The goat cheese melted in with the pesto to create a bold, fresh, earthy and tangy sauce that was TO DIE FOR. The roasted peppers gave it a smolderingly sweet flavor, and the broccoli added texture. The pasta choice here was perfect for the sauce to cling to, and it all in all was a truly spectacular dish that will be added to our dinner-time arsenal.

Ally Special Dinner was a HUGE hit with the kids too. Jack ate a bunch of pasta cut up small, and Major cleared his plate FAST, giving it two thumbs up. Honestly? If the 7-year-old boy says it's good, then it's good.

Want to make it for yourself? I don't blame you! Thank you Bestie Ally for this insanely delicious recipe, and for allowing me to share it with the world!