Do you guys have any Valentine’s Day plans?
Stephen and I aren’t a big “gift-giving” couple so our Valentine’s Day plans usually consist of a nice dinner or a night in with a movie. We’re pretty easy going but, this year we will be with my family on V-day so I decided to create a recipe that’s quick and easy but packs a punch, Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta!
My family is not usually picky when it comes to food (in fact, they’re usually pretty adventurous) BUT almost every meal served at my parent’s house has both a protein and a carb (what can I say, I have 3 growing bros!). Which makes this dish perfect.
It has the carby goodness of the pasta drenched in a light, zesty pesto, gooey parmesan cheese and topped with perfectly grilled chicken. Ugh! So good! 
Since you should definitely consider making this for your significant other (or just treat yourself, cuz you deserve it) I decided to go a bit more in depth with the instructions. But this dish is pretty flexible, so make it your own!
First up, the pesto!
1. Grab your food processor and add all of the pesto ingredients (parsley, basil, lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt) and blend them up until they are smooth. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge.
2. Next, take your chicken breasts and coat them with a good coating of freshly ground pepper then drizzle with olive oil. Add the breasts to a hot grill pan and sear on each side for about 5-6 minutes on high (be sure not to move them as that will ruin your chances of getting really good grill marks).
3. Once the breasts have seared, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with tin-foil and let cook for an additional 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place a large pot of water on the stove, season with salt and bring to a boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (I left mine a bit alal dente).
5. Once the chicken has finished cooking, let the breasts rest for about 5-10 minutes then thinly slice going against the grain.
6. To your serving bowl, add the pasta and the pesto and gently toss together.
7. Serve with the grilled chicken, a lemon wedge, and freshly sliced parmesan.
- 1 box pasta
- 2 chicken breasts
- Freshly ground pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pesto:
- The juice of 1 lemon
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 1 cup packed basil
- (I also used about 3 tbs. pine nuts but, this is totally optional)
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1.5 tsp. salt
- Grab your food processor and add all of the pesto ingredients (parsley, basil, lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt) and blend them up until they are smooth. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge.
- Next, take your chicken breasts and coat them with a good coating of freshly ground pepper then drizzle with olive oil. Add the breasts to a hot grill pan and sear on each side for about 5-6 minutes on high (be sure not to move them as that will ruin your chances of getting really good grill marks).
- Once the breasts have seared, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with tin-foil and let cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a large pot of water on the stove, season with salt and bring to a boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (I left mine a bit al dente).
- Once the chicken has finished cooking, let the breasts rest for about 5-10 minutes then thinly slice going against the grain.
- To your serving bowl, add the pasta and the pesto and gently toss together.
- Serve with the grilled chicken, a lemon wedge, and freshly sliced parmesan.
