Ground Chicken Pesto Pasta
Blog: www.nextinlime.com
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For Pesto Sauce
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1.25 cups milk
- ¾ cup (75 g) parmesan - freshly grated - press down tightly into the cup to measure
- ½ cup (55 g) sun dried tomatoes - sliced or chopped, drained (Note B)
- ⅓ cup (5 tablespoon) basil pesto - store-bought
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
For cooking chicken & pasta
- 8 ounces (227 g) pasta - uncooked, I prefer fusilli, penne or rigatoni
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 small (100 g) onion - finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - finely minced or grated
- 1 pound (454 g) ground chicken - aka chicken mince (Note A)
- 1 teaspoon salt - adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning - or sub with dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Optional toppings
- some freshly grated parmesan
- some chopped fresh parsley - or basil
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a skillet or pan over medium heat. Once that’s melted, add in the flour and stir for a minute or two.
- Gradually pour in the milk while you keep whisking/stirring to make sure it stays smooth, cook for 2 minutes. Don't wait longer for the sauce to thicken. Add the parmesan and stir until it melts. Then toss in the sun-dried tomatoes and give it a good mix.
- Take the pan off the heat, let the sauce cool down for a couple of minutes, then stir in the pesto and lemon zest. Set aside while you get everything else ready.
- Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil, toss in the pasta, and cook it according to the package instructions, usually around 8-10 minutes. Once it’s done, drain the pasta, then toss it with a little cooking oil so it doesn’t stick. Set that aside too.
- While the pasta is boiling, heat the cooking oil in another big skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onion and cook until it softens up, about 3 minutes. Next add the garlic and stir it around for another minute.
- Add the ground chicken, along with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Break it up with a spoon, stir and cook for about 7-8 minutes. I like my chicken a little chunkier, but if you prefer it in finer bits, keep breaking it up longer as it cooks.
- Once the chicken is done, add lemon juice. Then add that pesto sauce you made earlier and mix it up with the chicken. If the sauce is too thick, add water in small increments to adjust the consistency.
- Now toss in the cooked pasta and mix everything together until well combined. Give it a taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Let it heat through for a minute or two.
- Top with freshly grated parm, some chopped parsley or basil and serve immediately.
Notes
Note A: Ground chicken – if using frozen chicken, make sure it’s fully thawed before you start.
Note B: Sundried tomatoes – use the sundried tomatoes that come in jars with oil, not the dry ones packed in bags. You can also swap the regular cooking oil in the recipe with the oil from the jar.