Grilled Chicken Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

Ok folks, this one is the real deal!  I think this recipe just made it to the top of my favorites list.  It reminds me of the 5 Cheese Ziti from the Olive Garden, which is one of my life obsessions.  (Hopefully this recipe is a little healthier that that, because I recently read that the ziti at the OG has 1050 calories in it. Eek!)  As usual, I made a few adjustments.  Instead of adding fresh parsley, which I really don't care for, I added fresh rosemary, because I am growing it on my kitchen window sill.  I would definitely recommend adding the rosemary.  It made it taste soooooooo good!  Also, the sauce turned out really runny.  Next time I'm going to add cornstarch or something to thicken it up.  Also, we had some extra mushrooms in the fridge, so I added them as well, cause we love mushrooms.  Oh, one more thing, I didn't use the Montreal Seasoning it calls for because I didn't want to buy it.  You could just grill up chicken plain, or use whatever seasoning you want on it. We used some garlic and herbs and it was great!  Seriously, I love this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Montreal Steak seasoning
• 1/2 pound penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded

Directions:

Rinse chicken breasts in cold water. Layer between sheets of wax paper and pound to even thickness. Season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning. Preheat grill for medium high heat, lightly oil grate, and grill chicken breasts on medium high heat for 6-8 mins each side. OR heat 2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter and olive oil is nice and hot, add chicken breasts and cook 5 mins each side. Set chicken aside to cool. In a large pot, boil water with 1 tbsp salt. Add 1/2 lb penne pasta noodles and boil according to package directions. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender, but do not let the garlic turn brown (about 3-5 mins). Add the chicken broth to the pan and allow to reduce by half. Meanwhile, slice chicken. Once the broth has reduced, stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low. Chop the parsley and basil, add to sauce and mix well. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir well to coat. Serve pasta on plates, top with sliced chicken.