Chicken and basil made for each other
Solve your weekday meal dilemma with this quick and easy recipe.
CREAMY CHICKEN AND BASIL PASTA Prep: 10 mins Cook: 25 mins Serves: 4 Chicken pasta
1 tablespoon thyme leaves 2-3 cloves garlic 650g chicken thighs 11⁄ tablespoon chicken spices
teaspoon salt 400g fresh pappardelle or fettucine 1 cup chicken stock 100g basil pesto 125g sour cream
tsp salt 100g baby silverbeet 100g baby spinach
To serve
cup grated parmesan cheese 25g chopped walnuts (optional) Prepare the night before or morning of.
Finely chop thyme and roughly chop garlic. Pat chicken dry and toss with thyme, garlic, chicken spices, salt, and a drizzle of oil. Season with pepper and set aside in the fridge to marinate.
To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook pasta for about 12 minutes, until tender.
Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.
Return pasta to pot with a drizzle of oil to prevent sticking.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large fry-pan on medium-high heat. Cook chicken for about 3 minutes each side, until golden.
Add stock to the pan and cook for about 3minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside, in a bowl to rest.
Reduce heat to low, add pesto, sour cream, salt and silverbeet to pan and fold through, until combined.
Using two forks, roughly pull chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Add chicken, spinach and pasta to pan with a little reserved pasta water, if needed. Season to taste.
To serve, divide pasta between bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and walnuts (if using). My Food Bag is excited to be rolling out delivery of its fresh ingredients and delicious recipes across the country. To find out more and explore the range, head to myfoodbag.co.nz. Please note it is unable to deliver to rural addresses.