Description
Homemade chicken pesto pasta delivers Mediterranean charm with fresh basil and parmesan. Italian-inspired ingredients combine seamlessly for a quick, delectable dinner you can prepare in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
- 12 oz (340g) pasta (penne, fusilli, or spaghetti)
- ½ cup (120g) basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- ½ cup (50g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
- ¼ cup (60ml) pasta water (reserved)
- ¼ cup (30g) toasted pine nuts (optional, for crunch)
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for spice)
- Fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Generate a generously salted water bath, immerse pasta until achieving al dente perfection. Reserve a splash of starchy liquid before draining completely.
- Sear Chicken: Heat olive oil in a expansive skillet over medium flame. Introduce seasoned chicken morsels, sautéing until golden-brown and thoroughly cooked through.
- Enhance Aromatics: Integrate minced garlic and optional red pepper flakes into the chicken, allowing their fragrant essence to permeate the dish for a brief moment.
- Combine Components: Lower skillet temperature, gently fold pasta into chicken ensemble. Lavishly drench with basil pesto, utilizing reserved pasta water to craft a luxurious, velvety sauce.
- Final Embellishment: Cascade grated Parmesan and halved cherry tomatoes into the skillet, stirring to ensure harmonious flavor integration. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, an additional Parmesan dusting, and optional toasted pine nuts for textural contrast and visual allure.
Notes
- Reserve Pasta Water: Keep a cup of starchy pasta liquid before draining, which helps create a smoother, more cohesive sauce and enables better pesto coating.
- Control Chicken Browning: Ensure medium-high heat for golden-brown chicken edges without burning, preventing dry or tough meat texture.
- Balance Pesto Distribution: Fold pesto gradually and mix gently to prevent overwhelming the dish, allowing each pasta strand and chicken piece to be perfectly coated.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Swap regular pasta with gluten-free alternatives, use plant-based pesto for vegetarian version, or replace chicken with tofu for protein variety.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 56g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 70mg