Roasted Red Pepper Penne

To roast peppers: remove core and seeds from peppers and slice them into pieces. Lay them skin side up on a baking sheet and preheat the broiler in your oven. Place under the broiler until skins are completely charred and black – this took about 10 minutes for me but will depend on your oven. Just check every 2 minutes or so.

Immediately remove peppers from oven and using kitchen tongs, quickly place them in a Ziplock bag then seal it. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

While peppers are “steaming” in the bag, pat the chicken breasts completely dry with a paper towel, then season them with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Brown chicken on both sides until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Then, set chicken aside to cool on a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet with the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Saute over medium-low heat until onions are softened and caramelized.

Cut chicken into pieces.

Boil water and prepare pasta according to package directions.

Remove peppers from the bag and peel the skin off and discard it. It’s okay if a little bit of char remains as it adds to the flavor. Add peppers, garlic, parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper to a food processor. Blend until pureed, then stream in 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil so mixture comes together.

In a large bowl, combine penne with chicken and onions. Add red pepper sauce and toss thoroughly to coat. Serve with additional parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves.