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30 Minute Pesto Chicken Pasta

Easy pesto chicken pasta! Rich herby pesto sauce with silky noodles and crispy golden chicken. The perfect easy creamy pasta dinner!
5 from 1 vote
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Course: pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 400 g (6 ⅓ cups) pasta, any type of noodle
  • 2 (2) large chicken breasts, boneless skinless
  • 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) olive oil
  • 3 cloves (3 cloves) garlic, minced
  • 80 g (2 ⅚ oz) basil pesto, works out to be ½ jar
  • 100 ml (3 ⅜ floz) single cream
  • 100 ml (3 ⅜ floz) vegetable stock made with a stock cube
  • 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) walnuts, chopped
  • 1 (1) ball mozzarella, torn
  • 1 (1) bunch basil, chopped

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.
  • Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of non-stick grease proof paper and use a rolling pin to pound the chicken breasts until they are a thin and an even thickness all over. Season well with salt and pepper. 
  • In a nonstick frying pan, heat the olive oil. Once the oil shimmers place the chicken breast in the pan and fry on both sides until the chicken is cooked through and the juice runs clear. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside while you make the pesto sauce.
  • Add the minced garlic to the pan and sauté until it’s fragrant and starts to brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Add in the pesto, and stir.
  • Pour the cream and the vegetable stock into the pan, mix with the pesto and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta to the pan tossing to coat the noodles. 
  • Slice the chicken and serve over the noodles with torn mozzarella and extra black pepper.

Notes

*You can use red pesto for this recipe if you prefer. Red pesto is made from sun-dried tomatoes.
* Instead of chopped walnuts you can use chopped pistachios

Nutrition

Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 956mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1178IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg
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