Chicken Green Veggie Pesto Pasta

Wait. Is it St. Patrick’s Day? With all this green, you’d think it was. But no. I’m just coming at ya with a deliciously rich pasta bowl full of noodles, chicken, and yummy green veggies. And pesto, of course. Because three green veggies just wasn’t enough green for me. But cut me some slack. It dumped snow again today and being surrounded by any color other than white or gray seems like a distant dream.

Plus, I had a lot of pre-made pesto leftover from these babies and knew this easy pasta dish would hit the spot. I have to admit I had to resort to frozen asparagus spears for it because my grocery store didn’t have fresh. NOT ACCEPTABLE. But, I digress. I had a few packages of these broccoli florets from Costco (highly recommend BTW) in my freezer, so all the veggies for this dish were frozen veggies that I nuked in the micro. Which meant quick and easy, my friends. And I would be remiss if I didn’t hook you up with yet another delicious and simple weeknight dish. So keep this recipe handy to whip up on a crazy night. Or to avoid getting pinched on St. Patrick’s Day. Unless, of course, you want to get pinched. 😉

Chicken Green Veggie Pesto Pasta

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Erin

Recipe type: Main Dish, Pasta, Chicken

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

• ½ lb fresh or frozen steamable asparagus spears
• 1 lb fresh or frozen steamable broccoli florets, but into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used ½ bag Tyson frozen grilled chicken strips)
• 1 16-oz package garden (or regular) rotini
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• Salt and pepper
• 1-1/2 cups prepared pesto
• 1-1/2 Tbsp butter
• ¾ cup half-and-half
• 1-1/2 tsp white wine, apple cider, or other mild vinegar
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• Chopped fresh basil
• Shredded Parmesan (optional)

Instructions

1. IF USING FRESH VEGGIES. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add asparagus and broccoli and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or small strainer, remove veggies from water, but keep water in pot. IF USING FROZEN STEAMABLE VEGGIES, cook veggies according to package directions and set aside.
2. Add rotini to the pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta.
3. Cut asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces. In same pot you used for the pasta, melt butter over medium heat. Add peas, asparagus, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper and add garlic, pesto, and half-and-half. Add pasta and chicken and stir to combine. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
4. Serve topped with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

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