Penne with Chicken and Pesto

"Very very good! Fast and easy too! First off, I NEVER use chicken breasts because I feel they are too dry, and lack flavor. I ALWAYS substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs in all recipes that ca..." See morell for chicken. I trim off most excess fat from the thighs. I used fat free half and half for the heavy cream and then just thickened the sauce with a LITTLE cornstarch. Also, I prepared extra sauce to pour over the pasta when served. I think the sauce is best made THE NIGHT BEFORE so the flavors can blend through(it's also easier that way if you're potlucking at work as we often do). Keep the sauce and pasta separate until serving or the pasta soaks up too much of the sauce. I agree with many about bumping up the Pesto. I make my own Pesto so it packs plenty of flavor punch. Fast, easy and not fussy to make. A hit with the crowd."

"The best pasta dish I have ever had! I love pesto so I added a couple extra tablespoons of that and I used 1 cup of half and half and 1/4 cup chicken stock to cut some calories...." See more"

"If you haven't figured it out yet...this is an easy, fool-proof, flexible dish. My standard calorie and saturated fat decreasing tactic is to substitute Fat Free half & half with some flour or cornsta..." See morerch. I will give up some flavor for the healthier aspect. At least pesto is made from "good oil" (Olive). Next I add vegetables like brocolli, mushrooms, and onion (others mention sun-dried tomatoes) etc, maybe more garlic and use a whole wheat or Omega 3 boosted pasta of my choice (used rotini as pictured). I like adding some garlic and Smart Balance Light sauteed Prawns with the chicken (or alone...). Another option is smoked salmon by itself, or with the chicken and/or prawns (like I said...flexible). Do anything else you like...experiment, you can't go wrong if you put stuff you like in it!!!"