Chicken Pesto Pasta
Quick · 25 min · Serves 2 · Italian
Seared chicken and browned zucchini over spaghetti tossed with basil pesto, parmesan and a splash of pasta water, finished with lemon and torn basil — a bright weeknight dinner in twenty-five minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Pasta
- 200 g spaghetti
Chicken & zucchini
- 250 g chicken breast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
To serve
- 60 g basil pesto
- 1 tbsp butter
- 25 g parmesan, finely grated
- 0.5 lemon, juiced
- 10 g basil, torn (optional)
Steps
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente, following the packet. Scoop out a mug of the pasta water before you drain it.
Chicken & zucchini
- While the water heats, season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until golden brown and cooked through: 74°C (165°F) in the thickest part. Rest it on a board for 5 minutes so the juices settle, then slice across the grain.
- In the same pan over medium-high heat, cook the zucchini for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring only now and then, until browned at the edges and just tender. Season with a pinch of salt.
To serve
- Return the drained spaghetti to its pot over low heat and add the zucchini, pesto, butter and most of the parmesan.
- Toss for 1 to 2 minutes, adding the pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the strands. Keep the heat low: pesto held over direct heat goes dull and bitter.
- Pile the pasta into bowls and lay the sliced chicken on top.
- Squeeze over the lemon, scatter with the remaining parmesan and the basil, and serve at once. Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.