Chicken/pesto pasta

 

Try saying that three times fast! Last night I had a Zoom meeting at six o’clock, so Jordan was cooking dinner. We had planned ahead that supper would be chicken and pesto with pasta. Jordan thought she’d just do it off the top of her head, but it struck me that it might be better to have a recipe as a guide. One of those cases where the internet is a blessing of modern living. I googled and found an easy, quick recipe—but, of course, it required some fiddling, and Jordan altered it a bit.

The quarantine mentality lingers around here, and my tiny pantry is overstocked with some things, pasta being one of them. This is a real problem, because my basic pantry is one deep drawer, and pasta takes up a lot of space. I have for instance a partial package of spinach noodles which has been batted about and squished so much that the noodles are broken into tiny pieces. I want to just pitch them, but Jordan loves the spinach noodle dish we do so they continue to occupy real estate in my pantry. Tonight, the question was what pasta? The recipe called for penne, but with the plenty we had on hand I wasn’t about to buy more. Jordan suggested egg noodles—we always keep those because they’re good in casseroles and Jacob loves them buttered. But we decided on the pound of elbow macaroni I’d bought for a pasta salad that never got made. The recipe called for the whole pound, but that was part of her adjustment.

Another quantity problem we have is with rotisserie chicken—you can never tell how much meat you’ll get. It averages about two cups, sometimes less, sometimes more. I did read an article recently about all the sugar, salt, and other additives in these prepared chickens. The take-away? Read the ingredients label carefully. Whole Foods got the best recommendation. I’m going to look carefully the next time we buy a chicken at Central Market. Of course, much of that seasoning is on the skin, so if you discard that before using the meat, you’re taking a big step toward healthy eating. And by the by, I hope you know to skin and debone those chickens right when you get them home, while they’re still warm. It’s twice the chore if you let them get cold.

Here’s what Jordan did:

Chicken Pesto Pasta

½ lb. small elbow macaroni

1.5 lbs. chicken, diced (from a rotisserie chicken)

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

1-1/2 c. heavy cream

¼ c. chicken broth

1/3 c. pesto – (we decided the dish could have used more)

¼ c. grated Parmesan

Extra Parmesan for topping

           Cook pasta, drain, rinse, and set aside.

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot and sear the chicken until golden brown.

Add heavy cream, pesto, ¼ c. Parmesan, and broth—and simmer until it reduces a bit.

Add the pasta, a bit at a time. This is an important point—you want the dish to stay creamy, so add pasta gradually, making sure it doesn’t absorb all the sauce. When it gets the consistency—or pasta/sauce balance—you want, quit, even if you have leftover pasta.

Serve immediately, topped with more Parmesan and ribbons of fresh basil if you have it. Serves four.

Buon appetite!