Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

• 300 g pasta - penne or fusilli
• 400 g chicken breast - cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil - for cooking
• 120 g pesto - store-bought or homemade (about 1/2 cup)
• 30 g Parmesan - grated, plus more for serving
• 0.5 tsp salt - plus more for pasta water
• 0.25 tsp black pepper - to taste
• 120 ml pasta cooking water - reserved

Steps

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve about 120 ml (1/2 cup) pasta water, then drain.
2. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook 6–8 minutes until golden and cooked through.
3. Reduce heat to low. Add pesto to the pan and stir to coat the chicken.
4. Add drained pasta and a splash of reserved pasta water. Toss until the pesto turns glossy and coats everything evenly. Add more pasta water as needed.
5. Turn off heat. Stir in grated Parmesan and serve immediately, with extra Parmesan if desired.