Description
Creamy weeknight one-pot meal with basil pesto, juicy chicken, and al dente pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 320 g dried pasta (short shapes like penne, fusilli, or rigatoni)
- 150 g store-bought or homemade basil pesto
- 30 ml olive oil
- 60 ml heavy cream or half-and-half
- 240 ml chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 ml lemon juice
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 30 g pine nuts, toasted
- 40 g grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Prep the chicken and ingredients: Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Measure pesto, chicken stock, cream, and toast pine nuts in a dry skillet until fragrant.
- Cook the pasta: Bring salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until very firm to the bite. Reserve pasta water and drain.
- Sear the chicken: Heat olive oil in a skillet, add chicken, and sear until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and rest.
- Build the sauce: Lower heat, sauté garlic in olive oil, add chicken stock, and simmer. Stir in pesto, cream, and reserved pasta water; simmer until glossy.
- Finish with pasta and chicken: Toss drained pasta in the sauce, add sliced chicken, and warm through. Adjust seasoning and finish with lemon juice and Parmesan.
Notes
For a dairy-free version, omit cream and Parmesan. You can also swap Greek yogurt for cream for a tangier flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: One-Pot Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 120mg