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Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes www.thehomecookskitchen.com easy to make weeknight meal!

Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe with Sundried Tomatoes

The Home Cook's Kitchen
This chicken pesto pasta recipe with sundried tomato is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal! Taking less than 30 minutes to make, this recipe is an easy weeknight favourite! 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 people
Calories 579 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 brown/yellow onion finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 chicken breast diced into about 1-2cm/half an inch thick pieces
  • 4.5 oz broccoli stems removed, cut into small florets
  • ½ cup bocconcini/pearl mozzarella note 1
  • ½ cup sundried tomatoes
  • cup basil pesto
  • 1 cup rotini cooked, note 2

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
  • In a large fry pan or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium to high heat.
  • Add onion and garlic and fry off until lightly browned for about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add chicken, and stir constantly for 5 minutes, until chicken is browned and nearly cooked through (note 3)
  • Next, add the broccoli and stir 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the pesto and stir through to heat the broccoli and to finish cooking the chicken. 
  • When pasta is ready, drain and add to the chicken pesto mix, stirring through until pasta is coated in pesto.
  • Finally, stir in the sundried tomatoes and bocconcini/pearl mozzarella until cheese has slightly melted.
  • Serve warm

Notes

Note 1 - in Australia, bocconcini is easy to find, however, I do believe in American is can also be called pearl mozzarella which is basically the same thing.
Note 2 - I used rotini pasta, but you could also use fusilli or gemelli which are also good for light pesto sauces. See this article for more details on choosing the right pasta.
Note 3 - you want to avoid over cooking the chicken so that it's tough. I tend to just cook it through very lightly, at the start because by the time it is finished cooking it will be perfect and moist. Always check however to make sure chicken is fully cooked before serving.