Grilled Pesto Chicken with Tomato Cream Pasta

I mentioned in my last post that the grill was my new best friend and to be prepared for some recipes coming your way. This meal seriously combined my two loves- my grill and pasta. Oh, and cream. Because well... cream makes life better. So I guess my three loves... but who's counting. I turned to pinterest when I bought my grill to find some things to make that weren't the traditional hot dog, hamburger, chicken route and found a ton of interesting things. I'm so excited to make them and share them with you!

This dinner was a perfect meal. The chicken was flavorful, the pasta was delicious, and visually it was so appealing. John and I loved it as I knew we would. Landon ate a couple bites of chicken but refused to taste the pasta which is totally not like him, but whatever. And best of all this dinner gave me a flashback to John and I's early dinners together when we were first dating. We used to buy this Barilla sauce that came with a little container of pesto on the top that you'd stir in. That was our idea of a homemade fancy meal- my how times have changed (not that I'm above jarred sauce... believe me, I use it regularly). The memory made this even more delicious!

Source: Adapted from Cassie Craves

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup prepared pesto
Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 pound pasta
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup light cream
1 tablespoons prepared pesto
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a plastic bag or sealable container, mix together Italian dressing, pesto, and lemon juice. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight (the longer, the better). Grill the chicken until cooked through.
2. While the chicken is cooking, cook the penne in boiling salted water until al dente; drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Heat to boiling, then add tomato sauce and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in the pesto and heat through.
4. Gently stir the pasta into the sauce. Top each serving with sliced chicken.