Pretty in Pesto: Pesto Chicken, Prosciutto Perline Pasta, and Spinach Salad


Basil was on sale today, so I bought a bunch and made some homemade pesto. This can go on anything: pasta, chicken, shrimp, fish, veggies- it’s good to make a bunch and then use it to brighten up almost any dish!
Tonight, I put it on some chicken and tossed it with some pasta. The prosciutto perline pasta and spinach salad were semi-homemade… Trader Joe’s helped me put those together 🙂

Basil (I used a whole package from Trader Joe’s)
1 clove of garlic
Parmesan cheese (I chopped up a block I had and used about 4 one-inch cubes)
Toasted pine nuts (about a tbsp)
Some lemon zest and a squeeze of the juice
Olive oil (I used about half to 3/4 cup.. But you want to add it as you go so you can control the consistency of the pesto you want)

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Salt to your taste. As far as the olive oil goes, the more you add, the more liquidy the pesto will be. You can always make it a bit drier (good if you’re spreading it on sandwiches etc…) and then add olive oil as you go if you’re looking to make it for pasta or as a dipping sauce for bread.

The Chicken:
I seasoned chicken breasts with garlic salt and lightly coated them in flour (trader Joe’s has a great garlic salt blend… They’re not paying me to push their products, though after this post, they should probably start).
Then I just cooked the chicken in a pan coated in olive oil.
Smear some pesto over it and it’s awesome. Chicken has never looked better.

2 thoughts on “Pretty in Pesto: Pesto Chicken, Prosciutto Perline Pasta, and Spinach Salad

  1. Pingback: Leggo my Egg(plant): Eggplant Parmesan | Pao Says, "Open Wide!"

  2. Pingback: Italian Dreams: Farfalle with Shrimp and Mushrooms in a Pesto Cream Sauce | Pao Says, "Open Wide!"

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