Description
This French Chicken Pistou Pasta features a vibrant pistou sauce made without pine nuts, offering a lighter yet intensely flavorful twist on traditional pesto.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pistou {Courtesy of Cooking Light}
- 4 cups (160g) basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup (59mL) chicken broth
- 1 tbsp (11g) grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp (13,5g) olive oil
Pasta
- Roughly one half of a batch of Pistou, to taste
- 3-4 lean chicken thighs, trimmed of all excess fat or 2-3 chicken breasts
- 2 cups (232g) conchiglie pasta, cooked
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tsp (9g) olive oil
Instructions
- To make the pistou, combine the basil leaves, garlic cloves, chicken broth, parmesan cheese, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Store any leftover sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken thighs for about 6-8 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked and golden brown. Remove from the skillet and let rest before slicing.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and reserve some pasta water.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the pistou sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Slice the cooked chicken and serve it over the pasta. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Pistou can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.
- This dish is perfect for a light summer meal.
- You can substitute chicken thighs with chicken breast if preferred.
- Use any pasta shape that holds sauce well.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 30
- Cholesterol: 80