Chicken Pesto Fettuccine
With seasonal vegetables, fresh cream, and whole-wheat pasta, creamy pesto-fried chicken fettuccine is a quick and simple weeknight dinner. It doesn't get much easier than that when it comes to a quick dinner at night. If you love pesto, you'll love this simple and healthy pasta recipe.
ingredients
To get you started, I'll show you how to make a basic creamy pesto pasta. It is incredibly adaptable, and you can spice it up by adding any combination of vegetables or meat.
I make this dish with fresh ingredients, except for the fettuccine, which I buy dry 9 times out of 10. Because it can be hard to get a good variety of fresh whole pasta where I live, I prefer buying dry pasta because it ensures I always have a stock Ready in my locker.
Wholemeal pasta
Whole grain pasta
Wholemeal spaghetti is one of those foods that you assume your kids will refuse to eat just because it sounds weird or because you haven't tried it before.
But believe me when I say my kids haven't noticed the difference between wholemeal pasta and the old, refined kind of spaghetti. I also have two Saab eaters. They didn't even ask the dreaded question, "Is this different from what I used to prepare?" What they mean is that before they had to check, they didn't have to.
If I tried to sneak into anything healthy, I would have failed miserably.
Take advantage of this simple victory. Switch to whole-wheat pasta and try this delicious (and simple) meal. Leftovers go well in school lunch boxes the next day
fresh basil
This recipe requires fresh basil. It's cheap, plentiful, and I keep it on my kitchen window ledge now, so there's always a stash when I want it. Dried basil can't be beaten (in just about any recipe I think!) so grab some fresh when you do your next store.
Smell, taste, everything is different; Just inhaling it makes me feel better. And since they are so excellent at pizza, having some on hand provides an opportunity for an impromptu pizza night :)
chicken
This recipe calls for chicken breast meat, although this is not required. Breast meat works well in this recipe, although drumsticks can also be used. The fact that the meat is organic is more important to us.
Zucchini
When we first started eating clean, the kids amazed everyone by eating zucchini. I didn't think they would, but there was no fighting, and they ate them. They did not take to anything that fed them with the same enthusiasm as ducks on the water. Take the prize if your kids have a favorite vegetable they eat without complaint :)
Any vegetables you want can be added to this recipe. But beware: the cream has a weird habit of doing weird and funny things (aka coagulation if you mix it with a lot of other liquids)
Before adding the cream to the pan, be sure to reduce the vegetable and chicken juices.
Leftover Fettuccine: How do you keep it?
This meal can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator. Make a note of the chicken's expiration date, and if it's less than three days, use it as a reference date and eat it before that date.
Put the leftovers in a bowl and wrap them in plastic wrap. To reheat them, put them in the microwave for a few minutes, stirring halfway through, or return them to the skillet and heat them on the stove over low heat. When the cream in the sauce cools, it thickens. When you reheat it, it decomposes.
Also, leftovers make a delicious lunch the next day.
Pesto Chicken Fettuccine
This creamy fried chicken fettuccine is a quick and easy weeknight dish made with seasonal vegetables, fresh cream, and whole wheat pasta. With easy meals going into the middle of the week, this one won't get much easier. If you love pesto, you will love this quick and healthy pasta dish.
- course: dinner
- CuisineClean Eating
- Keyword chicken: pesto fettuccine
- Servings:4 People
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts – sliced into stir fry strips
- 340 ml full fat cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil pesto
- 2 x large zucchini sliced
- 1 garlic clove finely sliced/crushed
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Wholewheat or Spinach Fettuccine
instructions
Cook the fettuccine according to package directions.
On the stove, heat a large frying pan. Combine olive oil, chicken, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken begins to turn brown.
Combine pesto, garlic, and zucchini in a mixing bowl. Stir after a minute of cooking.
Pour in the cream and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes. The cream will start to thicken and reduce in volume.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the cooked pasta. Stir the pasta carefully to coat it with the rich sauce.
Serve immediately.
Notes To extend this dinner to feeding a lot, it is best served with a large salad.