What's For Dinner
September 7 2007
Quick Meal: Grilled Chicken with Penne and Spinach Pesto
For the Chicken:2-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt
Pepper
Wash and dry the ckicken. Season with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked - about 5 minutes per side - either on a grill pan or on a grill.
For the Pesto:
2 cups Baby Spinach, washed and lightly packed
1/4 cup Pine Nuts
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from that same lemon
1/3 cup of Olive Oil (Extra Virgin is best for this)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (grate it yourself for best flavor)
Put the spinach, pine nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse until it looks like a green paste. Turn the food processor on and slowly pour in the oil until the pesto is smooth and creamy. Remove from the food processor and put in a bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese and then add salt and pepper to taste. If you don't feel like making this yourself, go to the store and buy some already made pesto - it won't be spinach but it will taste almost as good.
Putting it together: Boil some water for your pasta. Add some salt once it's boiling then add your penne pasta to it. Cook per the instructions on the box - usually about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta when it's done. Mix your pasta with half of your pesto. Get a plate and scoop some pasta onto it, add a piece of chicken on top then put a spoon ful of the remaining pesto on top of the chicken. Add a little extra parmesan if you like and you're all set.