Creamy Avocado Pesto Chicken Pasta
Creamy avocado pesto chicken pasta. It's a lightened up version of traditional basil pesto and is done in about 45 minutes (including time to bake the chicken).
Servings: 4 -5 servings
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 4-5 Chicken Breast Tenders
- Olive Oil for brushing
- Spices for chicken
For the Pasta:
- 1 Pound Penne Pasta or desired pasta
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves packed
- 2 Cloves Garlic minced
- 1/4 Cup Pine Nuts or Walnuts I used a mixture of both
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice about 1 lemon
- 1 Avocado
- Sea Salt and Pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
To make the chicken:
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Brush chicken generously with olive oil and season with desired spices. I sprinkled salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, and cayenne pepper over top.4-5 Chicken Breast Tenders, Olive Oil, Spices
- Place chicken equally-spaced on greased baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is completely white throughout and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Cut chicken into small pieces and set aside.
To make the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.1 Tablespoon Salt
- Add penne and cook for 11 minutes, or until your preferred doneness.1 Pound Penne Pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare sauce.
- Add basil leaves, garlic, and nuts to a food processor and pulse so the basil and nuts are well broken up.1 1/2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves, 2 Cloves Garlic, 1/4 Cup Pine Nuts or Walnuts
- Add olive oil, lemon juice, avocado flesh, and salt and pepper and process until sauce is creamy.2 1/2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, 1 Avocado, Sea Salt and Pepper
- Once the pasta is done, drain cooked penne with a colander and return pasta to the pot.
- Add sauce, Parmesan cheese, and chicken and stir so that everything is combined.3 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Serve while warm.
Notes
This is a great recipe to use leftover chicken in!
Total time for this recipe includes preparing the chicken beforehand, and then cooking the pasta and making the sauce at the same time. It'll likely be quicker if you bake the chicken while the pasta/pesto sauce is happening.
refrigerate leftovers for 2-3 days
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 2280mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g