Pesto Pasta with Chicken

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Easy Pesto Pasta with Chicken

This pesto recipe is pretty standard; it was passed down to me from a friend's mother years ago and we love it. This meal is incredibly easy, especially if you use rotisserie chicken! Serve it with salad on the side and you've got an easy, delicious dinner without much effort.
Notes about this recipe: Pesto sauce also freezes well, so if you have a lot of basil to use up, make some extra pesto sauce and throw it in the freezer for another time!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Recipe
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: BarrettFamilyRecipes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 839kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh basil (about 30-40 leaves)
  • cup Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups cooked chicken shredded (or from a rotisserie chicken)
  • 12 oz farfalle pasta

Instructions

  • Combine 3 cups fresh basil , ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup walnuts , ½ cup olive oil , 2 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a food processor to make your pesto sauce. Set aside.
  • Cook 12 oz farfalle pasta as directed. When finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain pasta, return to pot, stir in 2 cups cooked chicken and about 1 cup pesto sauce (not an exact amount – see how much you think you need). Add in some pasta water to loosen a little. Add more pesto sauce or pasta water as needed after mixing for a minute. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 839kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1112IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 273mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Choose FI has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Choose FI and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. American Express is a ChooseFI advertiser. Disclosures.
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