Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serves: 2
Chicken and pesto pasta is a simple pasta recipe with lots
of colour and flavour, perfect for a midweek meal. This is a complete meal in
itself - and you can vary it a little by adding a handful of black olives at
the end, or by using chopped broccoli instead of the green beans and peas
instead of the broad beans. This dish is also good served cold.
INGREDIENTS
125 g frozen broad beans
140 g linguine, snapped in half
75 g green beans, stem ends trimmed, sliced in half
lengthways
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tbsp good-quality pesto
basil leaves, to garnish
parmesan, grated, for serving, optional
METHOD
1. Cook the broad beans in a small saucepan of boiling water
for 3-4 minutes then drain, cool slightly and pop the beans out of their skins.
Set aside.
2. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil, then tip in the pasta and cook for 10 minutes (or according to instructions on the packet), adding the green beans for the last 4 minutes.
3. While the pasta is cooking, dry fry the pine nuts in a large frying or sauté pan until golden, shaking the pan often so they don’t burn, then tip them out into a small dish and set aside. Heat the oil in the same pan and fry the chicken and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until cooked and the chicken is starting to brown. Remove from the heat, season with pepper and stir in the skinned broad beans.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Put the pasta in the pan with the chicken and return the pan to a very low heat. Stir in the pesto and pine nuts and toss all together with the reserved pasta water until everything is well warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
5. Scatter with a few basil leaves and serve with parmesan for sprinkling if you like.
2. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil, then tip in the pasta and cook for 10 minutes (or according to instructions on the packet), adding the green beans for the last 4 minutes.
3. While the pasta is cooking, dry fry the pine nuts in a large frying or sauté pan until golden, shaking the pan often so they don’t burn, then tip them out into a small dish and set aside. Heat the oil in the same pan and fry the chicken and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until cooked and the chicken is starting to brown. Remove from the heat, season with pepper and stir in the skinned broad beans.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Put the pasta in the pan with the chicken and return the pan to a very low heat. Stir in the pesto and pine nuts and toss all together with the reserved pasta water until everything is well warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
5. Scatter with a few basil leaves and serve with parmesan for sprinkling if you like.
