I first ate a version of this meal over at my friends Jeremy and Eric’s place many years ago – I remember feeling very glamorous and grown-up about having a for-real dinner party, so it had to have been sometime right around college graduation – and ever since then it’s been an easy summer staple for me. It’s a great one-dish dinner (I’d just add a salad and a bottle of pinot grigio), and is an inexpensive way to feed hordes. Just keep an extra chicken breast and a little extra pasta on hand, and surprise guests are no problem. Oh, and it makes excellent picnic food. Speaking from experience.
I made the pesto with asparagus instead of basil because…I had asparagus. And not basil. But if you prefer regular old basil pesto, that works just as well.
ASPARAGUS PESTO PASTA with LEMON-PEPPER CHICKEN (serves 4 generously)
What you need:
1 box dried pasta of choice
2-3 chicken breasts
1 large lemon
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup freshly grated parmigiana
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
What you do:
1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions.
2. While the pasta cooks, make your chicken: rub each breast with a little olive oil, then squeeze over a generous amount of fresh lemon juice. Liberally season with salt and pepper, and grill (I used a George Forman) until cooked through, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. In a large pot, steam your asparagus until just tender. Cut into thirds.
4. In a blender, process the pine nuts and garlic until they form a puree. Then add the asparagus, a generous amount of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon. (As you pulse the blender, you may need to keep adding olive oil until you achieve the right consistency – I end up using at least 1/3 cup, sometimes more.) Transfer pureed mixture to a large bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix in parmigiana.
5. When the pasta is done, add it to the bowl with the pesto (leave a little pasta water in to loosen). Add the chicken pieces, and toss everything together. Adjust seasoning and add more olive oil if needed.
