Pesto is so fresh! It indulges my need for flavor balance – savoriness, creaminess, and acidity. And you don’t actually have to cook it which is a nice bonus. Throw stuff in a food processor and you have pesto sauce. Easy!
I tried to give all the tiers of effort here with this recipe: fresh pesto, fresh pasta, and homemade shredded chicken. Maybe you make the pesto and boil some dry pasta and add in rotisserie chicken. Totally up to you! Follow this recipe as much as you want. I just want to convey enthusiasm for the dish because chicken + pesto + linguini rocks my socks.
This is also my first attempt at doing an instructional video instead of putting my hands in fast forward. Feedback is welcome! I grew up watching the Food Network and learned a ton of tips about cooking from observing all the techniques of Paula Dean, Giada de Laurentis, Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Emeril. Maybe it helps you! Maybe you just prefer to see my hands at super sonic speed. Let me know!
Chicken Pesto Linguini Recipe
Serves: 6
Prep time: 35 – 50 minutes (depends on your equipment!)
Cook time: 5 minutes
Nutrition: 330 calories per serving
21.9 g Fat
18.3 g Carbs
16.9 g Protein
Ingredients
For the pesto
2.5 oz fresh basil
3-4 cloves of smashed garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup walnuts or pine nuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
lemon zest
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
For the linguini
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
For the chicken
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
Instructions
For the pesto
1. Combine everything in a food processor until creamy. You may need to add more lemon juice to make the pesto more saucy.
2. Set aside.
For the pasta
1. Dump flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
2. Pour in egg, water, and salt into the well.
3. Slowly incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients using your hands to swirl.
4. Once the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated, knead dough for about 5 minutes.
5. Roll dough into a ball and divide into 8 equal parts.
6. Roll each part into a flat disk, about 1/2″ thick.
7. Roll the disks through the pasta maker to get a long sheet of dough. *If you don’t have a pasta maker, use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/8″ thick. This will take some time and muscle!
8. Run the long sheets through the linguini press on the pasta maker. *If you don’t have a pasta maker, put your long sheet of dough on a cutting board and cut thin strips of linguini with a knife.
9. Dump linguini into a boiling salted pot of water on medium heat. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until noodles float to the top of the water.
Put it all together
1. Combine pesto, pasta, and chicken in a bowl and toss together with tongs.
2. Serve immediately or keep in refrigerator for 3-5 days.