Gemelli Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Begin by gathering and prepping all of your roasted red pepper sauce ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.

To prepare your sauce, add all of the ingredients up to and including the parsley to a food processor, and process for a couple of minutes until fairly smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Then, with the processor running, slowly add in the olive oil until completely blended in. Spoon the sauce into a bowl to hold.

Next, gather and prep all of your gemelli pasta ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.

To marinate/season the chicken, add the chicken breast cutlets or tenderloins to a large bowl, and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a couple of good pinches of salt and pepper, the red pepper flakes (if using), Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic and squeeze of lemon, and toss the chicken in that to coat well. Allow to sit for a few minutes while you get your pasta cooking.

Next, cook your gemelli pasta according to package instructions, then reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, and drain the pasta. Keep it warm.

While the pasta cooks, sear (or grill) your chicken breast cutlets or tenderloins in a non-stick skillet or grill pan for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden-brown and cooked through. Slice the chicken into strips or cut into chunks.

To finish the gemelli pasta, add the roasted red pepper sauce to a large, deep skillet, and begin to warm it up. Add in the warm gemelli pasta, and toss to combine it with the sauce, using as much or as little of the pasta cooking liquid as you need to create a consistency you like.

Spoon the gemelli pasta into bowls, and top with slices of the seasoned chicken breast, some shaved parmesan and basil or chopped parsley, and serve hot.