Pesto Chicken Casserole

 Pesto Chicken!

One of my favorites!

Actually, anything with pesto is a favorite of mine.

I made a trip to Trader Joe's and found a package of pesto chicken breasts.

I took it home, cooked it up, ate one piece for dinner, and found out

quickly that one person absolutely cannot eat 6 pieces of chicken....

Well, maybe one person can, but this ONE person cannot.

So, I had 5 pieces left over. 

 This is what I did with my leftover pesto chicken....

Pesto and pasta are awesome together,

so I created a Pesto Chicken Casserole.

 This is what it looks like before entering the oven.

The tomatoes were an awesome addition.

It kind of looks like something you would get at the Olive Garden, right?

I was thinking the same thing....

I sided it with a Caesar salad. A kit that I picked up at my local Meijer store.

A kit! Did you catch that?

But when I went to prepare the kit there was no Caesar dressing.

Are you kidding me?

Parmesan cheese, croutons, but no Caesar dressing. 

I had to use what I had on hand, ranch.

Now let me see if I can get this into recipe form for you.

Pesto Chicken Casserole

5 pieces fully cooked pesto chicken breasts

1 c. onion, chopped

3 TBS butter

3 TBS flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

3 c. chicken broth

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 TBS dried parsley flakes

2 c. chopped fresh tomato

1 box cooked spaghetti

Place the chicken in a lightly greased casserole dish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven place the butter and onion. Cook over med/high heat until the onion is translucent and beginning to caramelize. Add the flour and stir for one minute. Slowly add the broth and cream stirring constantly. Bring to a light boil and stir for 2-4 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add the vinegar, cheese, salt and pepper, and parsley flakes. Stir well, and then pour over chicken. Place the chopped tomato down the center of the casserole and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. Cook pasta during the last 10 minutes of baking time. 

Plate the pasta and spoon casserole on top. Serve.