AVOCADO PESTO CHICKEN PASTA

By ROBandSEAN

Ingredients

• FOR THE PASTA:
• 4-5 4-5 4-5 chicken breast tenders
• Olive oil, for brushing
• Spices, for chicken
• 1 1 1 lb penne pasta (or desired pasta)
• 1 1 1 tbsp salt
• FOR THE SAUCE:
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 packed cups of fresh basil leaves
• 2 2 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts (I used a mixture of both)
• 2 1/2 2 1/2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 2 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 1 1 1 avocado
• Sea salt and pepper
• 3 3 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from ohsweetbasil.com

Preparation

Step 1

TO MAKE THE CHICKEN:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush chicken generously with olive oil and season with desired spices. I sprinkled salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, and cayenne pepper over top.
Place chicken equally-spaced on greased baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is completely white throughout and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Cut chicken into small pieces and set aside.

TO MAKE THE PASTA:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add penne and cook for 11 minutes, or until your preferred doneness.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare sauce. Add basil leaves, garlic, and nuts to a food processor and pulse so the basil and nuts are well broken up. Add olive oil, lemon juice, avocado flesh, and salt and pepper and process until sauce is creamy.
Once the pasta is done, drain cooked penne with a colander and return pasta to the pot. Add sauce, Parmesan cheese, and chicken and stir so that everything is combined. Serve while warm.