Description
This Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta is a no-muss, flavorful recipe that uses pantry staples and easy to find ingredients. Perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound of diced boneless skinless chicken thigh
- 8 ounces pasta
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small diced onion
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
- basil for garnish
For the pesto:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
To make Pesto:
- Throw 3 cloves of garlic, with 1/3 cup of pine nuts them in the food processor and blend.
- Add in the basil and pour in half a cup of olive oil gradually.
- Pour in the cheese, some salt, and pepper.
The Chicken and Pasta:
- Heat olive oil on medium fire, add in garlic and onions and stir until they turn brown
- Add in the chicken thigh meat with a sprinkle of flower, salt, and pepper. Stir for 1 minute.
- Throw in the pesto mix and the heavy cream.
- Gradually pour in the chicken broth. Stir everything until it starts boiling, and then add the pasta.
- Cover and let it cook for 8 to 12 minutes on low heat.
- Remove it from the fire and add in the Parmesan.
- Serve with a garnish of basil.
Notes
Shrimp is a great replacement for chicken and goes perfectly with pesto.
You can incorporate vegetables in this recipe for more nutritious value. Broccoli and mushrooms are great companions to pesto pasta.
You’ll just need to cook then in the pan with the chicken or chimps in some olive oil before you add in the pesto mix.
Chicken needs 6 to 7 minutes to cook, shrimp needs 3 minutes.
Any type of creamy pasta should be served immediately to avoid it drying out.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Calories: 557