Pesto Chicken Whole-Wheat Pasta

What you need

Ingredients

Measured for 4 servings.

• 620 gChicken Breast, raw
• 280 gWhole-Wheat Pasta, dry
• 70 gPesto
• 240 gTomato
• 180 gSpinach
• 25 gParmesan
• 8 gOlive Oil

Make it

Method

1. 01

   Cut the 620 g raw chicken breast into even bite-size pieces on a separate board. Dice the 240 g tomato, wash and dry the 180 g spinach, and measure the 70 g pesto and 25 g Parmesan. Keep raw chicken away from ready-to-eat ingredients.

2. 02

   Cook the 280 g dry whole-wheat pasta in boiling water according to the package until just tender. Reserve about a cup of pasta water, then drain. Start the chicken while the pasta cooks so the total time stays close to 35 minutes.

3. 03

   Heat the measured 8 g olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Spread the chicken in one layer and cook for about 6–8 minutes, turning until lightly browned. Check the thickest pieces with a clean thermometer; chicken must reach 74°C.

4. 04

   Add the diced tomato and cook for about 2 minutes, then stir in the spinach only until wilted. Turn the heat low or remove the pan from the burner before folding in the pesto, drained pasta and enough reserved pasta water to coat the noodles. Do not boil the pesto hard, which dulls its fresh flavour.

5. 05

   Sprinkle the measured Parmesan evenly over four portions. Allow about 15 minutes preparation and 20 minutes cooking. Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers; reheat gently with a splash of water until thoroughly hot.