Pesto-glazed chicken breast with pesto spaghetti
In my home, we like eating chicken breast because it is lean and healthier. The chicken breasts are first browned in a pan, and then the pesto is spread over the chicken and baked in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. For me, the chicken is moist and I like it with the flavorful pesto sauce. After being baked in the oven, the chicken also has a lovely cheesy crust (Parmesan in the pesto).
Curtis Stone serves his spaghetti with some olive oil and parsley, however since I still have leftover pesto even after coating generous amounts over the chicken, I decided to serve the pesto-glazed chicken breast with pesto spaghetti. Pesto overload? No complains from my little ones for sure, as this is one of their favorite pasta dishes. Baby D likes his pasta with extra torn sweet basil leaves, fresh from the herb garden of course.
A healthy, delicious meal you can prepare in under 30 minutes
Seeing my family eat healthy makes me happy :D
Matching shirt colour to the pesto :P
Pesto-glazed chicken breast with pesto spaghetti
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Curtis Stone
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 12-14 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 quantity homemade pesto (recipe here)
2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
125g dried spaghetti
15g Parmesan cheese, shaved, for garnish
1 tbsp torn basil leaves, for garnish
1 tbsp pine nuts, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
2. To make the pesto: please refer to recipe here. You can place all ingredients in a food processor to save time.Once the pesto is ready, set aside.
3. For the chicken: Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken breasts generously with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken breasts just until golden brown but not yet cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Spread about 1 -1 1/2 tbsp of pesto over the top of the chicken breasts each. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
5. To prepare the pasta: Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat
until al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the spaghetti, reserving 3 teaspoons of water - add the water to the remaining pesto to smoothen the paste. Place the pasta in a large bowl, then add the pesto and 1 tbsp olive oil and toss to coat.
6. To serve: Using a two-pronged carving fork, swirl some of the pasta around the fork. Slide the pasta off the fork and mound it in the center of a plate. Repeat for each serving.
7. Cut each chicken breast crosswise and on a slight diagonal into 4-6 slices. Arrange the chicken slices alongside the spaghetti.
8. Garnish with the pine nuts, shaved Parmesan cheese, and torn basil leaves. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over and serve.
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