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Easy chicken pasta with green pesto, veggies and cheese
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5 from 14 votes

Chicken Pesto Pasta

This quick and simple Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe, is light but creamy, fresh and healthy! A perfect fast midweek dinner, the whole family will love.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Family Food
Servings: 4
Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

  • 400 g Chicken breast fillets, skinless and boneless 2 x Chicken breasts
  • 145 g Fresh pesto
  • 350 g Dried pasta
  • 200 g Green beans
  • 200 g Cherry tomatoes Halved
  • 2 tbsp Creme fraiche
  • Salt and pepper

To serve (optional)

  • 20 g Pine nuts
  • 100 g Mozzarella pearls

Instructions

  • Preheat the grill to hot.
  • Flatten your chicken breasts (I do this by laying them between sheets of cling film and bashing with a rolling pin). Pop them onto a baking tray and cook one side under the grill for 5 minutes, turn over and spread a teaspoon of the pesto onto each one and pop back under the grill for another 5 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or according to pack instructions.
  • Whilst the pasta is cooking halve the cherry tomatoes, and trim the green beans as necessary. 
  • 4 minutes before the end of the cooking time, throw in the green beans with the boiling pasta.
  • Cut the chicken into thin slices.
  • Drain the pasta and beans, stir in the rest of the pasta, the cherry tomato halves, the creme fraiche, chicken,salt and pepper and pine nuts.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • This is the perfect store cupboard recipe as you can substitute fresh pesto for jarred if you need to. Fresh Pesto is more flavoursome however, it will still taste great with another longlife version, perfect for rustling up meals quickly! 
  • You can also use a lighter version of Creme Fraiche to reduce the fat levels in this recipe. 
  • For even greater time saving you can use fresh pasta. 
  • Flatter chicken breasts (fillets) will cook more quickly. I flatten mine by laying them between sheets of cling film and bashing with a rolling pin.

Nutrition

Calories: 661kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 819mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1450IU | Vitamin C: 18.7mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 2.8mg