Making your own pesto takes just minutes in our Italian chicken and pasta dish, but you could buy shop-bought pesto to speed things up.
Ingredients
- 15g olive spread (try Benecol® Olive Spread)
- 2 x 150g skinless chicken breasts
- 160g tagliatelle
- Steamed broccoli and beans to serve
For the
pesto sauce
:
- 1 x 25g bag basil leaves
- 25g pine nuts
- 15g Parmesan cheese broken in pieces
- 1 clove garlic
- 40g 15g olive spread (try Benecol® Olive Spread)
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- To make the pesto: Place the basil in a small food processor or liquidiser and blend until roughly chopped. Add the pine nuts, cheese and garlic and blend again. Add the olive spread and blend to a rough paste. Set aside for later use.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/gas 6.
- Melt 15g olive spread in a frying pan and heat until hot over a medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 10 mins, turning frequently to brown both sides. Place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for about 10 mins until completely cooked through.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the pack instructions and drain well. Stir in the pesto, cover the pan and leave to melt for 1 or 2 mins.
- Serve the chicken and pasta on a plate with the steamed broccoli and beans.
Top Tip for making Pesto chicken
The pesto can be made in advance and will keep covered in the fridge for a week.
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