Hearty, yet fresh and vibrant! A perfect dish to stand on its own for the busy weeknight dinner, as well as a crowd-pleasing side dish to any family BBQ.
1-1/2poundchickenraw breast or leftover pre-cooked chicken
4 ouncessundried tomatoesin oil
2Tablespoonslemon juice
8ouncesfrozen peas
12 ouncespesto
Instructions
Start by preparing your pasta. Salt a large pot of water on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Add your one pound raw pasta of choice and cook as directed on the packaging.
While your pasta water is coming to a boil, preheat the oven to 350F. Split your chicken breasts to approximately 1/4-1/2 pound each. Or you can pre-dice your chicken breasts and cook them as such. Either way, add a drizzle of olive oil (2 Tablespoons) to an oven-safe skillet, followed by the chicken seasoned with salt and pepper. Place in the center of your preheated oven until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165F. This should take between 15-30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
While your pasta and chicken cook, gather the remainder of your ingredients and chop the sun-dried tomatoes to bite-sized pieces. As your chicken nears the end of it's cooking time, about the last 5 minutes or so, add the sundried tomatoes to the pan. This helps the chicken to soak up any oil and acidic flavor.
Remove your chicken from the pan and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Shred or chop the chicken in to bite-sized pieces.
Once your pasta and chicken have cooked, start by adding the frozen peas to the freshly cooked and strained pasta. The heat from the pasta will thaw and cook the peas just enough to become firm and bright without becoming soggy.
Add the chicken, sundried tomatoes, and lemon juice to the pasta and peas. Give a good stir.
Lastly, add the pesto to the bowl and mix. Top your pasta with fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, or serve as is.
Notes
For a low carb option, use zoodles and low carb pesto sauce.