Description
A creamy and vibrant pesto chicken pasta that’s perfect for weeknight dinners, bringing summer flavors to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 340 g (12 oz) short pasta (penne, fusilli, or orecchiette)
- 500 g (1.1 lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
- 60–80 g (1½–2 cups) packed basil leaves
- 30 g (3 tbsp) pine nuts
- 60 g (⅔ cup) grated Parmesan
- 1 large garlic clove
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream or half-and-half
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil for searing
- 120–180 ml (½–¾ cup) reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts and blanch the basil in a small pot of simmering water for 10 seconds, then transfer to an ice bath.
- Make the pesto by pulsing blanched basil, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and salt in a food processor until coarse; drizzle in olive oil until emulsified.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta until al dente (about 8–11 minutes), and reserve pasta water before draining.
- Sear the chicken slices in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden and cooked through (about 4–6 minutes), then let rest before slicing.
- Finish the sauce in the skillet with reserved pasta water and cream, then stir in pesto and lemon juice before tossing with the drained pasta.
- Serve hot, garnished with sliced chicken, extra Parmesan, and lemon zest.
Notes
Use room-temperature basil for vibrant color and flavor. To keep the sauce from becoming greasy, do not overprocess the pesto.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Searing and Tossing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 560mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 95mg