Chicken Pesto Pasta

Name: Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients: as desired Cherry tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes); to taste Skin-off chicken thighs (or chicken breasts/day old roast chicken); to cook Pasta; 3 tablespoons Olive oil; as needed Salt; 2 Garlic cloves; to taste Parmesan cheese (grated); to taste Toasted pine nuts (or walnuts); 2 bunches Basil leaves; as needed Lemon juice; as needed Black pepper; a handful Spinach

12 ingredients · 8 steps · from Andy Cooks

Ingredients

as desired Cherry tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes)
to taste Skin-off chicken thighs (or chicken breasts/day old roast chicken)
to cook Pasta
3 tablespoons Olive oil
as needed Salt
2 Garlic cloves
to taste Parmesan cheese (grated)
to taste Toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)
2 bunches Basil leaves
as needed Lemon juice
as needed Black pepper
a handful Spinach

Watch the original video

Steps

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add olive oil, seasoning it well with salt.
Chop the cherry tomatoes (or use sun-dried tomatoes). Slice the chicken into strips.
Start cooking the pasta in the boiling water. Once the water is boiling rapidly, start frying the chicken in a large pan over high heat until cooked through.
While the chicken cooks, make the pesto: Combine 2 cloves of garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts (or walnuts), and basil leaves in a blender. Season with salt and olive oil, then blend. Add lemon juice to taste.
Once the pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving some pasta water.
Add the tomatoes and cooked chicken back into the pot with the drained pasta.
Heat off the heat and stir in the prepared pesto.
Stir in the spinach until wilted. Season with black pepper and check salt levels before serving.

Recipe extracted by Foodle from “3 Chicken Recipes in Under 30 Minutes - Perfect For Weeknight Meals” by Andy Cooks. Quantities follow the video and may be approximate — watch the original for technique.