Pesto Chicken Pasta

Pesto + Pasta = Love at first bite!  This is a simple, tasty pasta dish for when you are tired of the same old red-sauced pasta.  It is bright and flavorful and you could easily change up the ingredients to make it vegetarian or use a different protein like bacon.   I found this recipe on a cooking blog that has become a go-to called: BudgetBytes and made a few small changes.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves minced garlic
12 oz box bowtie pasta
1 1/2-2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/3 cup pesto
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 cups chopped spinach
1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes (more if you love them like I do)
Salt, pepper, and red pepper to season

Preparation:
Dice chicken into small pieces and heat butter in a large skillet.
Cook chicken over medium heat for a few minutes until no longer pink.
Add garlic and cook another minute.
Add in pasta and 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, stir, cover and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, stir again and cut the heat down to medium-low and let pasta simmer covered for about 8 more minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Check to see that pasta is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed.
Add cream cheese, parmesan, milk, pesto, and incorporate well.
Add in spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and stir until spinach is wilted.
Season pasta well with salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper.
Note:  if pasta gets too thickened, add in additional stock.