Recipes

Cilantro-Basil Pesto Pasta 

with Chicken

 

  

For Pesto:

• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino

For Chicken & Pasta

• lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 pint baby bella or white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb pasta of choice (I used Fettuccini Regate because it has grooves that catches the pesto nicely)
• Parmesan or pecorino to garnish

For Pesto:

1. Place the basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, lemon, juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend into a paste, scraping sides with spatula. Slowly add olive oil with processor on to make pesto smooth.

For Chicken & Pasta:

1. Heat salted water until boiling, cook pasta according to package.

Meanwhile,

 2. Place chicken between plastic wrap and pound until 1/4" thick. Season on both sides with salt and pepper, and squeeze lemon on breasts. Heat oil in skillet at medium high. Place chicken and mushrooms in skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.

3. Drain pasta when just al dente, reserving about 1 cup of cooking water. Toss pasta in skillet used for chicken (wiped out) and toss with pesto and a little olive oil over low heat. Stir in cooking liquid until pasta is coated. Grate cheese over top. Serve with sliced chicken and mushrooms.