This satisfying pasta dish is tossed up with a super easy and flavorful bright green pesto sauce made from creamy cashews, lots of fresh basil, and nutty parmesan cheese. Aside from being vibrant, flavorful and soooo delicious, it lets me knock two things off my list: use up all that fresh garden basil (check!) and whip up an easy pasta dinner (check!). Tri-color rotini adds color and tasty texture in this weeknight basil pesto pasta with chicken.
When the pesto sauce comes together in the food processor, I always lean in and smell it because the fragrance of the crushed basil and garlic smells so amazing!
It is a perfect example of something that smells and tastes as good as it looks. The bright green basil leaves vibrant flecks of color throughout the sauce and the dish. Cashews bring a creamy richness and fresh crushed garlic makes everything pop with flavor.
The best part is this easy peasy fresh basil pesto sauce… It’s made entirely in the food processor. You’ll just need the skillet for cooking up some cubed chicken and later for tossing and serving everything up.
I always make a big skillet full of this for leftovers the next day and (this is gonna sound weird) I actually enjoy this dish cold as well. Something about the fresh herbs, the nuttiness, and the texture of the sauce on the pasta…? It is quite enjoyable the next day as a cold or room-temp pasta salad type deal. It also tastes even better the next day.
Another thing I like is that it takes the added step of toasting your nuts out of the mix. I just literally went straight for the already toasted/roasted and salted nuts. They’ll go straight from the bag to the food processor.
Related: Tomatoey Spinach Chicken Bowtie Pasta
make delicious basil pesto pasta with chicken
I’ll just keep a light hand with the salt since the nuts already carry their own seasoning and the parmesan will also add its own level of briny flavor to sauce as well. As a result, I’ll also season the chicken sparingly with lighter pinches of salt. I don’t season my pasta water since the vibrant green pesto sauce and chicken will bring all the seasoned flavor we need. If you like, you can always adjust the seasonings in the pesto sauce while it’s in the food processor.
brown & cook the chicken
In a medium bowl, toss cubed chicken with light pinches of salt and pepper. In a hot skillet, drizzle some olive oil and cook your cubed chicken until browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken in batches, if necessary, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Remove the skillet with the chicken from the heat when finished and set aside.
make fresh basil pesto with creamy cashews
Cook a box of your favorite short pasta, to an ‘al dente’ texture to strain and set aside for later. While the pasta cooks, head to the food processor and add cashew nuts, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and grated parmesan cheese.
Put the lid on and pulse until it reaches a moist sandy texture.
Add fresh basil and olive oil
Now remove the lid add in your fresh basil leaves. Put the lid back on and with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
Continue pulsing until mixture turns bright green and everything is evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper to desired taste.
Toss your prepared pasta into the skillet with the chicken and pour in the freshly made pesto sauce.
Stir everything together to combine.
Sprinkle everything up with a few more dashes of grated parmesan and top off with some more whole cashews.
Dot with fresh basil leaves, if desired. Serve as a favorite weeknight pasta dinner loaded with fresh green herbaceous flavor. Simple, fresh, vibrant, and delish!
Fresh Basil Cashew Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups Fresh Basil Leaves - or about 3 to 4 good bunches of basil
- 1/2 cup Roasted Salted Cashews
- 2 large cloves Garlic - smashed and tossed in
- 1/2 tsp Coarse Sea Salt + Ground Pepper - plus more for seasoning chicken
- 3/4 cup Olive Oil - plus more for cooking chicken
- 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 box Your favorite Short Pasta Such as Rotrini - I used rotini, penne is also nice
- 1 pack Chicken Breast or Chicken Tenderloin - Cubed into 1 inch cubes
Instructions
- Cook a box of your favorite short pasta, to an 'al dente' texture. Soft on the oustide but with a little bite still on the inside. Strain pasta and set aside. I used rotini. In a medium bowl, tossed cubed chicken with light pinches of salt and pepper.
- In a hot skillet, drizzle some olive oil and cook your cubed chicken until browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken in batches, if necessary, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Remove the skillet with the chicken from the heat when finished and set aside.
- In a food processor, add cashew nuts, 2 smashed garlic, and parmesan cheese. Put the lid on and pulse until it reaches a moist sandy texture. Now remove the lid add in your fresh basil leaves. Put the lid back on and with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Continue pulsing until mixture turns bright/creamy green and everything is evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the cooked chicken cubes. Now pour the fresh basil cashew pesto mixture over the pasta and chicken into the same skillet. Stir everything together to combine. The ripples and ridges in the rotini pasta will grab onto the sauce helping it to combine nicely.
- Finish by garnish with fresh basil leaves, some toasted cashews over the top, and some more grated parmesan. Serve immediately.
- Keep in an air-tight container and finish within the next 2 days or so.
Notes
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