Tomato & Goat Cheese Penne with Basil and Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken tenders on a cookie sheet, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil on chicken tenders (roughly 2 Tbsp total). Sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 Tbsp dried basil. Set aside.

Fill large stockpot with water and bring to a boil.

While water is heating, begin to prepare sauce. Heat a large skillet to medium high and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp oil. Sauté onion for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, remaining salt, pepper, and dried basil. Mix and cook another 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Add tomatoes, paprika and red pepper flakes. Combine and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, turn down to low. Add goat cheese, crumbling while adding. Stir in goat cheese and cover skillet, allowing cheese to melt and simmer.

Place chicken tenders in oven and cook for 10 minutes or until cooked throughout.

While chicken is cooking, add pasta to boiling water. Use a wooden spoon to move around pasta in water so they don’t stick together. Cook 10 minutes or cooked al dente.

Scoop half of the sauce into blender or food processor. Blend on high for a few minutes or just until the mixture is smooth. Return to saucepan and combine with remaining tomato mixture.

Once pasta is done cooking, drain. Return to stockpot. Mix approximately 1 cup of tomato mixture with pasta to lightly coat noodles.

Remove chicken from oven and let cool slightly.

Plate dishes by putting a small scoop of sauce on the bottom of the plate. Top with one cup of noodles. Add more sauce on top of noodles. Slice chicken and add one sliced tenderloin to the top of each pasta dish. Garnish with fresh basil.