Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus

This pesto pasta dish has such fresh delicious flavours and is so quick and easy to make! The best part of summer cooking is the fresh local food you can purchase and come home and make a meal that is so flavourful and satisfying. The asparagus is from a local farmer, with fresh basil and a local chicken farmer that raises hormone and antibiotic free chicken. 

My homemade pesto recipe can be found in the sauce category. Making fresh homemade pesto is the best! It can be easily made at the same time you are making this dish, or it can be made ahead of time. You can easily make pesto and freeze it in small zip-lock bags. If you store it in a small jar or container, make sure you add a little lemon juice to prevent the pesto from turning brown, and pour a thin layer of olive oil on top which prevents the air from getting to the pesto.  

Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus

This delicious pasta dish has so much flavour with the fresh basil, and can be made within 30 minutes.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 439

Ingredients Method Nutrition

Ingredients

  

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• 8 oz pasta (bowtie or penne)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb asparagus, remove woody ends
• 1/3 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought
• salt and pepper

Method

 

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium-large sauce pot. Add salt and pasta. Cook until al dente, drain, cover and set aside.     
2. Heat grill to high heat, add chicken breasts. Grill until cooked, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and cover with foil.Once cooled, cut into bite size pieces.
3. Soak asparagus in salt water, to remove any dirt. Dry asparagus on a paper towel to avoid it splatter when adding to the hot skillet. Cut into 1 inch bite size pieces.
4. Heat a skillet, add olive oil, and asparagus. Sauté for about 5 minutes, long enough that they should still have a crunch. Add the pesto, chicken and pasta and mix well.
5. Serve immediately and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 23gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 555mgPotassium: 565mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1291IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 4mg

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Once the asparagus has been sautéed for about 5 minutes, just enough time for them to tenderize, but yet still have a crunch. Add the pesto, chicken and pasta. Mix together and serve immediately. This dish could easily be served as a vegan dish, without the chicken and Parmesan cheese. 

Once all the ingredients have been added and combine to the skillet, serve it immediately with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.