Easy Chicken Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes
"You can make this chicken pesto pasta with tomatoes in just 20 minutes. This recipe is just how you like it: easy, healthy and super tasty. Use any kind of pasta or even zucchini noodles I used spaghetti in this chicken pesto pasta recipe and it came out just perfect. But if spaghetti are not your thing, you can replace them with your favorite pasta. And here are some of the most popular: Tagliatelle penne farfalle fettuccine pappardelle It’s worth noting here that different types of pasta require different cooking times. Dried pasta will generally get done in 10-12 minutes but you should start checking at about 6-7 min, then at 9 and so on until they’re ready. And by checking I mean tasting a piece each time and when it’s done it should be a little chewy (al dente). Of course, you should always follow the directions on the package, but also check while cooking because as I said, the cooking time is different for each type. Food Republic dived deeper into the process of cooking dried pasta if you want to know more about it. Now here comes the best part… I know many of you us foodies are always on diet (yeah, I know the feeling) and in this case, you can replace spaghetti with any gluten-free or whole-wheat pasta. Yet, if your waists forbid you from any kind of pasta due to its carbs content (but your taste buds beg for something tasty), you can replace it with zucchini noodles. These are a healthy alternative to pasta and a great way to eat more veggies."
Serves4 Servings
Preparation Time10 min
Cooking Time10 min
Ingredients
- 7 ounce dry spaghetti
- 2 chicken breast fillets, skinless, boneless
- 9 ounce cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- INGREDIENTS FOR PESTO SAUCE:
- 1 cup pine nuts, raw or toasted
- 1 cup basil leaves, washed and packed
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- juice of 1 medium lemon
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus some extra to garnish
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Boil spaghetti according to package directions in salted water.
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Meanwhile, add all pesto sauce ingredients except olive oil, to a food processor; pulse until finely blended; Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor for a couple of times.
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Add the olive oil in a slow stream and continue processing. Adding the olive oil slowly, while the processor is running, will help it emulsify and keep it from separating.
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Add about 1 Tbsp of pesto for each chicken fillet and coat well on both sides.
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Heat oil in a skillet or non-stick pan and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and no longer pink on the inside.
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Add in cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to burst.