Cubes of chicken and short rotini pasta tossed up delicious fresh basil and cashew pesto sauce. An ideal weeknight pasta dinner burstring with fresh herbaceous flavor.
6cupsFresh Basil Leaves - or about 3 to 4 good bunches of basil
1/2cupRoasted Salted Cashews
2large clovesGarlic - smashed and tossed in
1/2tspCoarse Sea Salt + Ground Pepper - plus more for seasoning chicken
3/4cupOlive Oil - plus more for cooking chicken
1/3cupGrated Parmesan Cheese
1boxYour favorite Short Pasta Such as Rotrini - I used rotini, penne is also nice
1packChicken Breast or Chicken Tenderloin - Cubed into 1 inch cubes
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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.