Quick and Easy Pesto Chicken & Pasta

ByBetsi Hill

This is a quick and easy dish to prepare! I use a Vitamix blender to create the pesto sauce.

Ingredients

1 lb of chicken (tenders, cutlets, breasts)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 grated parmesan cheese

1 1/4 tsp of minced garlic (I use the jar garlic)

**2 cups fresh sweet basil leaves

3 Tbl pine nuts

1 lb whole wheat pasta

**When fresh basil is not available, I use tube basil, and for 2 cups it takes about a tube to tube and a half.

Prepare Pesto:

Place all ingredients in blender in the order listed and secure lid. Select Variable 1, and slowly increase speed to Variable 7. Blend for 1 minute, pressing the ingredients into the blades. Yields 3/4 cup (enough to coat 1 lb of pasta).

Once blended, scrape the pesto from the blender and place in a small dish.

Cook pasta; while cooking pasta,

Dice chicken and trim off fat. Put a thin layer of olive oil in pan, with garlic to taste. Saute chicken until thoroughly cooked.

Drain & rinse pasta. Combine the pasta, cooked chicken and pesto sauce in a large bowl and mix well. Serve hot.

Suggested pairings: Fresh garden salad with a light vinaigrette. A Primitivo wine is an excellent choice of beverage.

I do make my pesto sauce ahead of our planned sailing trips and keep it refrigerated. It will keep about 2 weeks.

Betsi Hill

Travel Influencer, Travel Journalist & Blogger

Betsi Hill is an accomplished travel journalist, blogger, and influencer, recognized for her extensive experience in exploring diverse cultures and destinations. Her journeys have taken her around the globe, with a keen focus on Florida and the US East Coast. Betsi's travel insights offer readers a rich, in-depth perspective of various locales, immersing them in the unique cultures and traditions she encounters. Her passion for travel and storytelling is evident in her descriptive and captivating content.

Betsi is equally skilled in the realms of finances and home entertaining. With a background in finance and accounting, Betsi has honed her financial acumen, allowing her and Jim to commit to living a debt-free lifestyle, making her a source of inspiration and guidance for others seeking to live a debt-free life.

Her expertise in entertaining was honed by hosting gatherings and parties for Jim’s business associates as well as friends and family. Today she can seamlessly and easily host neighborhood parties, and help others in planning their events. Betsi skillfully and artfully combines all of these facets of her life to offer valuable advice and insights on achieving a balanced and enriching lifestyle, blending her love for travel and entertaining with practical financial wisdom.