I have yet to meet a person who does not absolutely love pesto. Even my dear childhood friend, who has never even tried an apple and harbors little fondness for anything that does not involve chocolate, has a soft spot for pesto. Ergo, whenever I am entertaining guests and unsure of their food preferences, pesto is my go-to choice.
This exquisite, green concoction has a pungent but undeniably delectable flavor. I’ve encountered a number of different recipes, all claiming to be the tastiest pesto to ever touch your lips. However, Ina Garten’s recipe takes the cake—no contest.
Garten combines two different types of nuts and packs her pesto paste full of cheese. I’ve witnessed some unconventional pestos, if you will, that use only walnuts or add arugala instead of the basil; but, in my humble opinion, a pesto just does not have the same zest without the pine nuts and eliminating basil from a recipe is always a mistake in my book.
I first made this recipe for my birthday two years ago (childhood picky eater was in attendance, so I had to plan accordingly). Despite there being a four-layered pumpkin spice and chocolate cake with a maple cream cheese frosting lying in wait on the counter, virtually every guest went back for seconds—this pasta is just so fresh and so clean.
The chicken is tender, primarily because it is baked rather than sautéed. Here’s a tip: Baking chicken wrapped in foil and smothered in olive oil and lemon juice makes for the most succulent poultry.
The sun-dried tomatoes make for a pleasant, tangy after-taste; however, if you are not a fan of these vitamin packed delicacies, leave them out. The additional pine nuts add crunch to each bite, giving the meal the perfect texture.
And, of course, the pesto completes the dish. The lemon juice, my own personal addition to Garten’s original pesto recipe, and basil compliment the chicken perfectly and cut through the cheese and nuts, making the sauce a bit less heavy. I’m tellin’ ya, no other pesto recipe compares.
One of the perks about this particular dish is that it actually reheats quite well. Oftentimes I find leftovers soggy and flavorless, and opt to make less rather than end up wasting precious food. This pesto, though, does not make the noodles a mushy mess, and a quick zap in the microwave (or even just eating it cold) packs in all the deliciousness of round one.
You can also store some of the pesto in a separate container, if you’d like, adding it to freshly boiled noodles when you’ve got an itch for something quick yet scrumptious to munch on. Another option is to spread the leftover pesto on any sandwich or panini.
For a wine pairing, I recommend a crisp, citrusy white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. If you’re low on cash, Monkey Bay and Cupcake are two brands of this particular kind of wine that only register in at about $10.
For a side dish, roasted vegetables with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice pair nicely with the flavors in the pesto and chicken and won’t be too heavy on your tummy.
Send any recipe requests and recommendations to Rebecca Alt at alt2@wisc.edu.
For Pesto:
Ingredients
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice (about one full lemon)
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup Parmesan
Directions
1) Add nuts, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and lemon juice to blender or food processor and grind until coarsely chopped.
2) Pour olive oil into the top of the blender/food processor and continue grinding.
3) Then add Parmesan and puree until formed into a thick paste. Taste to make sure seasonings are to your liking.
For Chicken Pasta:
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Lemon juice
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips (more or less depending on your preference)
1/2 cup pine nuts
Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 16-ounce package of pasta (I recommend Penne, Farfalle, or Rotelli, as pesto sticks best to these shapes)
Directions
1) Brush both sides of chicken breasts with olive oil and lemon juice. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.* Cut into chicken breasts to make sure there is no pink and the juices run clear. If completely cooked through, cut into bite sized pieces and set aside.
2) While the chicken is baking, boil a large pot of salted water. Add pasta and boil for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and pour into a large serving bowl.
3) Add sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, pine nuts, chicken and red pepper flakes to the pasta. Mix until pesto coats the chicken and pasta and the toppings are evenly distributed.
*Cooking times depend on individual oven temperatures and the size of the chicken breasts. I would check the chicken somewhere between 35 to 38 minutes— there is nothing worse than overdone chicken.
