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Chicken & pesto pasta

Pesto pasta with chicken and green beans in a wide pan

Chicken & pesto pasta

Name: Chicken & pesto pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400g pasta shapes; 250g green bean trimmed; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 bunch spring onions finely sliced; 2 large ready-roasted chicken breasts shredded; 5 tbsp pesto; 3 tbsp double cream; handful parmesan grated, to serve

Lulu Grimes

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Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10 mins

A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.106 ratingsRate

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Grab some Italian pesto and greens from your storecupboard and rustle up this creamy chicken and green bean pesto pasta – penne or fusilli work well

Freezable

High-fibre

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Lulu's tips for the perfect chicken pesto pasta:

This is a great recipe for using up leftover roast chicken. Simply shred it into the sauce at the end so it warms through gently and stays tender.
If I'd like to add a little more colour, I'll toss in some baby spinach, peas or halved cherry tomatoes just before serving. They pair perfectly with the pesto and boost the veg content of the dish.
This pasta is best enjoyed straight away, but if I have leftovers, I'll reheat them gently with a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce and bring back its creamy texture.
Take this dish to the next level with a homemade pesto if you have time - our classic pesto and rocket pesto are great ones to try.

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

400g pasta

shapes
250g green bean

trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch spring onions

finely sliced
2 large ready-roasted chicken breasts

shredded
5 tbsp pesto
3 tbsp double cream
handful parmesan

grated, to serve

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal698
fat27g
saturates10g
carbs77g
sugars7g

low
fibre8g

high
protein33g
salt0.51g

low

Method

step 1

Cook pasta following pack instructions, adding green beans for the final 6 mins of cooking time. Drain and reserve a few tbsps of the cooking water.
step 2

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add spring onions and cook for 1-2 mins until soft, then set aside.
step 3

Add the shredded chicken in the pan and heat through. Stir through pesto and cream. Pop pasta and beans in with the chicken mix and stir to coat, adding a little of the cooking water. Season and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Lulu Grimes

As Managing Editor for Good Food, Lulu has extensive magazine editorial experience, including roles at olive, Food and Travel and Sainsbury's Magazine, as well as Murdoch Books in Sydney. She has also written for The Sydney Morning Herald, taught food writing and published several cookbooks. Read her weekly Substack: Taste. Test. Repeat. and see more of Lulu's recipes

Lulu Grimes with a green background

Recipe from Good Food magazine, August 2012

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A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.106 ratings

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