penne pasta with chicken and pesto

Another great simple dish that can be done within 20 minutes or so. It's one of those dishes that doesn't really exhaust you, even after a long work day.

i kinda get bored eating pasta with marinara and alfredo sauce, so i decided to go green. if you're not big on basil, i wouldn't recommend trying this out. Otherwise, it's definitely a nice, refreshing alternative to the bored palate.


::gathering my raw materials::

you can find pesto ingredients at any grocery store--i opted for Henry's, as they have slightly lower prices, and everything I needed for this recipe. DISCLAIMER: I modified the measurements, as I cooked only a small amount. This is definitely a recipe that you can make "to taste", so have at it. However, for the sake of this blog, I will provide specifics. This reciple yielded about 2 servings.

The Recipe

4-8 oz fresh basil

1 clove garlic, peeled

1/4 cup chopped walnuts*

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan grated (or more, depending on how much cheese you like

Salt and pepper to taste

6 oz chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 1/2 cup cooked penne pasta

Place the basil, garlic, walnuts, and olive oil into a food processor. Pulse until everything comes together as a paste.


Add your shredded parmesan and pulse into the mixture. You want to do add the cheese at the end, so the heat from the pulsing/blades doesn't melt the cheese and change the consistency of your pesto while it's coming together. Thanks to Giada for that tidbit. = )




Once combined, scrape the pesto out of the food processor and put in a small container. You can add your salt and pepper to taste, once all finished. Place aside for now.

Now head on over to the stove. In a medium saucepan, allow about a cup and a half of penne pasta to boil. While the pasta boils, chop up 6-8 oz of fresh or frozen chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Cook in a medium frying pan until completely done. I sauteed mine with a little olive oil and minced garlic for flavor.


Once the pasta is done, rinse and add to your cooked chicken. Add your pesto to the chicken and pasta, then allow to simmer for a bit on a low heat. The cheese will melt nicely, and your pesto will coat the meat and pasta very nicely. Remove from heat. Serve and garnish with more shredded parmesan, if desired.



And that's pretty much it. Although I'm a sucker for alfredo sauce, pesto is a nice way to change things up.

*You can substitute pine nuts for the walnuts, as that's the more traditional recipe. However, if you're on a budget (pine nuts can be pricey), walnuts are fine.