Рецепт Cheesy Lemon Pesto Chicken Pasta with Peas
One of the things I enjoyed most about working for a food publication—aside from the actual work itself—was the free samples of food products and bottles of wine. (I think I might miss the free wine more though.) One day we were gifted a box that included, among other things, multiple jars of a lemon pesto. I happen to love pesto, but it isn't really one of those things that I make at home or have lying around my kitchen cabinets much. After a couple weeks of the pesto taking up room in my cupboard I decided it was time to put it to good use. This particular jar was a lemon flavored pesto, but I'm sure you could get the same effect by adding some lemon juice to regular pesto. This simple pasta recipe gets a flavor boost by the pesto and is a perfect one bowl concoction for any weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 large chicken breast, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
- 1/2 lb. whole wheat penne (reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water)
- 2 Tbsps. lemon pesto (or regular pesto plus a squeeze of lemon juice)
- 1 lb. frozen peas
- 6 oz. finely grated romano cheese
- garlic powder
Procedure:
In a plastic bag or large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper. Add garlic cloves and toss in olive oil. Marinate for 20-30 minutes.
Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. Once it has come to a boil, season heavily with salt and cook pasta until al dente. (Remember to reserve some of the cooking liquid!)
Preheat a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Cook chicken until done.
Add cooked pasta, pasta water, pesto, and peas to the pan with the chicken. Stir in cheese to make a sauce. Adjust seasoning with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, as needed.
What are some of your favorite uses for pesto?