Chicken Pesto Linguine

5 from 18 votes

Chicken Pesto Linguine is a quick and easy pasta perfect any night of the week. With juicy succulent chicken pieces and a creamy pesto sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken pesto linguine, pesto chicken linguine

Servings:

Calories: 738kcal

Author: Adrianne

Ingredients

Basil Pesto

3 cups basil leaves firmly packed basil leaves, stems trimmed, Note 1
⅓ cup pistachio nuts Note 2
2-3 cloves garlic cloves Note 3
½ cup pecorino romano cheese Note 4
⅓ cup/80ml olive oil Note 5
2 tablespoon lemon juice Note 6

Chicken

2 medium chicken breast Note 7
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Linguine Pasta

500 grams/16 oz linguine
½ cup/ 125 ml reserved pasta water

Garnish (optional):

black pepper
pecorino romano cheese finely grated using a microplane zester
basil leaves stems removed

Instructions

Basil pesto: add the basil leaves, pistachio nuts, garlic and pecorino romano cheese to the bowl of a food processor and then blitz to combine. Next pour in the olive oil and pulse to combine. Then use a spatula to scrape down the insides of the bowl before adding the lemon juice and combining. Then use the spatula to transfer the combined pesto to a small bowl.
Chicken: use a knife and chopping board to slice each of the chicken breasts in half lengthways. Then season both sides with salt and pepper. Place a large saute pan on the stove top and turn the heat to high. Add the olive oil and then use tongs to transfer the seasoned chicken into the pan. Cook for 4 minutes then use the tongs to flip to the other side and cook this side for 4 minutes also. Once both sides are cooked, use the tongs to remove the chicken from the pan and place it onto a paper towel lined chopping board. Let it rest for 2-3 minutes before using a knife to slice it into pieces.
Linguine: bring a medium sauce pan with salted water to the boil and add the dried linguine pasta. Read and follow the packet instructions to cook it. Moments before it is al dente (a little bit chewy) use a heatproof jug to scoop out 1 to 2 cups of the pasta water. Then use a colander over the sink to drain the pasta and discard the rest of the water.
Combine: use tongs and paper towel to absorb the excess oil in the pan that you cooked the chicken then add the cooked linguine to the pan. Dollop in the pesto and then measure and pour in ½ cup (125 ml) of the pasta water. Use kitchen tongs to toss and combine the pasta, pesto and pasta water. Then add the sliced chicken to the combined pasta and gently stir to combine.
To serve: generously garnish the dish with black pepper, pecorino romano and basil leaves. Provide bowls, forks and spoons to serving.

Notes

Note 1 - Basil: this is our primary ingredient needed to make the homemade basil pesto. We only need the leaves so you can trim the stems using kitchen scissors.
Note 2 - Pistachio nuts: a fantastic robust nut to use when making pesto.
Note 3 - Garlic: fresh garlic cloves are best for pesto. We use 2-3 and they give a great depth of flavor to the recipe.
Note 4 - Pecorino romano cheese: freshly grated using a microplane zester is best if you can. The cheese is so soft and blends very well in the pesto.
Note 5 - Olive oil: this is the ingredient that acts as the 'glue' to hold the pesto together.
Note 6 - Lemon juice: this gives the pesto a lovely citrus zing flavor.
Note 7 - Chicken: we are using chicken breast to make this recipe. 2 will be enough for 4 adult servings of the dish (as it is paired with pasta). Boneless skinless chicken is best and requires minimal prep work.

Nutrition