Weeknight Pesto Chicken Pasta

Dedicated to Elly, who asked me for this recipe <3

No preamble this time. Just pasta. The only thing I'll say is that obviously I think the quality of ingredients matters, so to make it really true to the recipe (and better for you and the planet) use pastured chicken, grass-fed dairy, local green beans (in season from May-October in the Midwest) and a good-quality Italian pasta.

Ingredients

Butter & olive oil for sautéing

2 chicken breasts

1 shallot, sliced lengthwise (sort of like a julienne)

~ 1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes

Homemade pesto* or a really basil-forward store-bought one

~1/4 cup heavy cream

Handful of green beans (enough to serve 4, optional, you could also use any veg you like)

400g Italian fusilli (sub penne)

*A note on the pesto: You want to use something that isn’t too heavy on the parmesan or olive oil. I like a nutty, garlicky pesto with just a bit of cheese for saltiness and enough oil to make it smooth. My pesto is made of fresh basil, sunflower seeds, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan.

Method:

Heat butter and olive oil in a deep-walled cast-iron skillet. I use a Le Creuset.

You can brine your chicken in salt and sugar and it will be more tender but this was just a Monday night meal so I settled for seasoning the raw chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken breasts. Make sure not to leave the heat too low, or the chicken will be tough. You don’t want to cook it all the way through. Just brown the outside to lock the juices in. Remove chicken, slice into chunks and set aside.

Now would be a good time to get some heat on under your pasta water.

Steam green beans until fork-tender. Slice into pieces about an inch-long. Set aside.

With all the lovely chicken juices left in the pan, add shallots and sun-dried tomatoes. Let them sauté for a few minutes, until the shallots are translucent.

By now you should have your pasta boiling —you’re going to need the starchy pasta water in a few minutes. Make sure to drain it once it reaches a comfortable al dente— don’t overcook as the pasta will soften further in the sauce.

Once you’re satisfied with the caramelization of the shallots, lower the heat to medium-low and mix in pesto. Whisk in cream until smooth. Add a ladel full of the pasta water. Adjust consistency as you see fit. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken when you add the pasta, so a little thinner is better. Add chicken and let it bubble on low heat for about 5 minutes..

Drain the pasta. Carefully stir it into the sauce along with the chopped green beans.

Serve with some grated aged parmesan. Mwah.