Chicken Pesto Pasta

This dish holds a lot of memories for me.  When my husband and I just started dating he invited me over for dinner one evening.  He cooked me one of his two speciality dishes.  He was so proud of his efforts and I must say, it really tasted great!   Until this day Chicken Pesto Pasta is still a regular dish in the Jorge household, especially during the week when we are both working and have limited time.

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Let’s start with some ingredients first:

2 chicken breasts

Spaghetti for two people

4 big dollops of commercial pesto (even though I love homemade pesto, I don’t always have any to hand, therefore the commercial ones are a handy substitute)

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Let’s cook!

1.  Put a saucepan on the hob and fill with salted water.  Bring to the boil before putting the spaghetti in.
2. Dice the chicken into bitesize pieces and place into a big frying pan (this should be big enough to accommodate the pasta too).
3. Fry the chicken in a tiny bit of oil until it is just seared.
4. Put your pesto in with the chicken and fry until golden and cooked through.

5.  Scatter half of the pine nuts over the chicken and fry for a couple of seconds until the pine nuts are deliciously gnarly.

6.  Once the spaghetti is cooked through, tip it over into the chicken pan.  Make sure to put a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water into the pan to ensure a lovely, silky sauce covers the entire dish.  Cook for a minute or two until the pasta is completely covered in sauce.  Take care that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

7.  Finally, once you are ready to dish up, divide the mixture between two plates and scatter with the remaining pine nuts and the sesame seeds.

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Since I absolutely cannot live without veggies, I’ve added some cauliflower to our meal.  I simply cut a head of cauliflower into florets and sprinkled over some sea salt and smoked paprika.  I then placed it in a very hot (230 degrees C) oven for 25 minutes.

What is your quick midweek go-to meal?  Let me know in the comments below!

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If you enjoyed this recipe, why not try:

• Mediterranean Chicken
• Unconventional Spaghetti Carbonara
• Chicken Pasta Bake with Cream of Tomato Soup