Pesto chicken recipe

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Making your own pesto takes just minutes in our pesto chicken dish. We've got more easy pasta recipes for goodtoknow users to try.

  • healthy
  • Low-fat
Serves2
SkillMedium
Preparation Time10 mins
Cooking Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories670 Kcal34%
Sugar1.8 g2%
Fat35.2 g50%
Saturated Fat6.9 g35%

Making your own pesto takes just minutes in our Italian chicken and pasta dish, but you could buy shop-bought pesto to speed things up.

Ingredients

  • 15g olive spread (try Benecol® Olive Spread)
  • 2 x 150g skinless chicken breasts
  • 160g tagliatelle
  • Steamed broccoli and beans to serve

For the

pesto sauce

:

  • 1 x 25g bag basil leaves
  • 25g pine nuts
  • 15g Parmesan cheese broken in pieces
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 40g 15g olive spread (try Benecol® Olive Spread)

WEIGHT CONVERTER

to

Method

  1. To make the pesto: Place the basil in a small food processor or liquidiser and blend until roughly chopped. Add the pine nuts, cheese and garlic and blend again. Add the olive spread and blend to a rough paste. Set aside for later use.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/gas 6.
  3. Melt 15g olive spread in a frying pan and heat until hot over a medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 10 mins, turning frequently to brown both sides. Place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for about 10 mins until completely cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the pack instructions and drain well. Stir in the pesto, cover the pan and leave to melt for 1 or 2 mins.
  5. Serve the chicken and pasta on a plate with the steamed broccoli and beans.
Top Tip for making Pesto chicken

The pesto can be made in advance and will keep covered in the fridge for a week.

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