Unforgettable Chicken Penne Pesto. My mother knew food! She knew how it went together like the back of her hand. One of my favorite chicken pasta dishes she used to make is Chicken Penne Pesto. This was not a childhood favorite as I was much older when she discovered (and tweaked) this recipe. Her neighbor had given it to her to try, and after some of my mother’s famous ‘tweaking’, she did.
When she told me about this Chicken Penne Pesto recipe, I remember thinking that anything Italian style was brave for Mom to try. Pasta in my childhood was rarely seen. It definitely wasn’t on the once-a-week menu! One lucky evening she made it and pulled it off. Not long after that, I, too, was adding it to the family menu.
Pasta is an economical way to feed the family. It’s easy to whip up for the masses or a few. This fabulous Chicken Penne Pesto recipe makes a nice change to the often seen standard tomato pasta dish. It’s so easy and tastes great. I served mine with a small side salad and added mushrooms or cherry tomatoes for variation.
Mama’s Unforgettable Chicken Penne Pesto
Ingredients
400 grams ground chicken (minced chicken)- 300 grams penne - or other pasta
5 tablespoons pine nuts
1 teaspoon Sea salt
3 tablespoons basil - finely chopped or 3t dried
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 handful parmesan cheese - to sprinkle
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in salted water with a little olive oil – stop it from sticking together.
- Fry the minced chicken in a pan or skillet with minimal oil.
- While the pasta and chicken are cooking, grind the pine nuts and sea salt in a mortar or blender.
- Add the basil, olive oil and garlic to the ground pine nuts and salt, and mix well. Hey presto, you’ve got pesto!
- Put the cooked pasta and chicken in the same dish and mix through the pesto. Try not to overmix. Sprinkle over with Parmesan cheese and extra pine nuts if desired.
