Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with basil pesto
Simple creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with bright, tasty basil pesto is a perfect, easy weeknight dinner. Leave out the chicken for a vegetarian feast.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Pasta
Prep Time 5minutes
Cook Time 15minutes
Total Time 20minutes
Servings 4
Author Alida Ryder
Ingredients
for the pasta
2chicken breastscubed
250gmushroomssliced
1garlic clovecrushed
4sprigs of thymeleaves removed
250mlcream
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
500glinguinicooked
for the pesto
2cupsfresh basil leaves
100gpine nutstoasted and cooled
1-2garlic clovesdepending on taste
50gParmesan cheesegrated
1/2cup-3/4 olive oildepending on the consistency you're after
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
To make the pesto, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until all the ingredients are finely chopped but take care not to blend too much as the pesto will form a paste.
Heat a large pan over high heat then add a splash of oil.
Fry the chicken until golden brown then remove from the pan and add the mushrooms.
Allow the mushrooms to fry until golden brown.
Add the garlic and thyme and add the chicken back to the pan.
Allow to saute for 2 minutes then pour in the cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then season to taste and toss with the pasta.