Chicken Pomodoro

I like to try and have some meals ready to go in the freezer for those days where I'm not 100%. I managed to freeze the sauce for this dish in January. And the other day, I wasn't feeling energetic. At all. I worked hard this past weekend baking up some goodies. I baked all day Saturday (and even in to the wee hours of Sunday morning) and then was up early on Sunday. So everything was in slow motion as I tried to catch up on housework. All I had to do was cook the chicken and add the sauce. I had originally planned to serve this sauce with shrimp instead of chicken, but with my DH not home for supper, I made it so that my kids would eat it too. And they did! Loved every bite!!

Chicken Pomodoro
source: onceamonthmom.com(here),  but the recipe is from here

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
2 - 15oz cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp pesto
1/2 lb chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (optional - you can sub with shrimp, italian sausage or even nothing)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic and pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are nearly translucent, about 3 minutes.
While the onion and garlic cooks, pour the tomatoes (liquid and all) into a food processor, blender or bowl and use a hand blender (like I did). Process until coarsely chopped to desired consistency. (Process less for a heartier sauce or longer for a creamier sauce).
Add tomatoes and sugar to the skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until very fragrant and somewhat thickened.
Stir in the pesto and simmer another 5-10 minutes. Next, stir the chicken into the sauce just until warmed through. Serve over pasta (I used whole wheat).

Happy cooking!