Pesto chicken recipe

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)

Method

1. 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.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/gas 6.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Serve the chicken and pasta on a plate with the steamed broccoli and beans.