Name: Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 lb spaghetti; 2 cup fresh basil; 3 clove garlic; 0.5 cup pine nuts; 0.75 cup parmesan cheese; 0.75 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 whole lemon; to taste salt; to taste black pepper

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745 cal52g protein68g carbs28g fat420mg sodium

Estimated, per serving — stays per-serving no matter how many you cook for.

From scratch25 min activeShortcut20 min active

Everyday 25nothing beyond the everyday cabinet

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Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken

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Weeknight25 minBeginner friendly

Serves−4+· written for 4 — change it and the ingredients follow

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Ingredients

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boneless skinless chicken breastspounded to even thickness1.5 lb

spaghetti1 lb

fresh basilpacked2 cups

garlic3 cloves

pine nuts0.5 cups

parmesan cheesefreshly grated0.75 cups

extra virgin olive oil0.75 cups

lemon1 whole

saltto taste

black pepperto taste

Cook it to

Chicken165°F / 74°C

USDA minimum internal temperatures. Measure at the thickest part, away from bone.

Allergies at the table? The final check is always yours. Ingredients and "may contain" warnings vary by brand — read every label, every time.

Goes well with

Most sides finish faster than the main — start the quick ones last so everything lands hot.

Need a conversion?Cups to grams, Fahrenheit to fan — convert anything at BetterCalculator.

Steps

1Heat grill or grill pan to high heat. Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.

2Grill chicken 6-7 minutes per side until cooked through and marked, then rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing.

3While chicken cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti until al dente.

4Pulse garlic and pine nuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add fresh basil and pulse until broken down.

5Stream in olive oil while pulsing until you have a loose, chunky pesto. Fold in parmesan and juice from half the lemon. Season with salt and pepper.

6Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta. Toss with pesto, adding pasta water a splash at a time to loosen if needed.

7Divide pasta among bowls, top with sliced grilled chicken, and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and extra parmesan.