Pesto Chicken Asparagus Recipes

PESTO CHICKEN & ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute asparagus until crisp-tender. Stir in the cream, pesto and pepper until blended. Return chicken to the pan; heat through. Serve with couscous.

ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Cut the cooked asparagus spears into thirds. Put in a food processor with the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep in mind you will add Parmesan as well, so be careful not to oversalt. With the machine running, slowly add the cup of olive oil. When the sauce is about the consistency of mayonnaise, it has enough oil. Pulse in the Parmesan. Thin with water, if necessary, to achieve a slick, saucy pesto. Scrape into a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate until needed. You should have about 3 cups. (Keeps about 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.)
• (c) 2006 NapaStyle Inc. All rights reserved

COLORFUL CHICKEN PESTO WITH ASPARAGUS, SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in the angel hair pasta and return to a boil. Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir chicken strips until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Pour reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes into the skillet; cook and stir asparagus in the oil until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add yellow and red bell pepper strips; cook and stir an additional 2 minutes.
• Lightly toss the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cooked pasta into the skillet with chicken and vegetables; stir in pesto sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese to serve.

CHICKEN PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, adding asparagus during the last 3 minutes of cooking. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms and red pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Reduce heat; stir in the chicken, artichokes, pesto, tomatoes, salt and pepper flakes. Cook 2-3 minutes longer or until heated through. , Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts.

LINGUINE WITH ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Snap off and discard ends of asparagus. Cut off top two inches of spears and reserve. Chop rest of spears and put in food processor with garlic, processing until very finely minced. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil. Add 1/2 cup cheese and pulse. Transfer mixture to a bowl, fold in lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook about 6 minutes, until not quite al dente. Add asparagus spears to the pot and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, until pasta is al dente.
• Spoon 1/4 cup pasta water into a large skillet. Drain pasta and asparagus tips and add to skillet along with asparagus mixture and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring with tongs, 3 minutes or so, until ingredients are well blended. Check seasonings. Transfer to 4 warm plates, scatter with oregano and serve with extra cheese.

ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.
• Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time, and serve over pasta, fish or chicken (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day).

PESTO BAKED CHICKEN WITH FRESH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Slice boneless skinless chicken breasts in to ½-inch wide pieces. Place on an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet. Brush each piece with pesto and sprinkle Italian breadcrumbs over the top. Mist with olive oil cooking spray.
• Break off the tough ends of the asparagus, and lay the stalks out on a second baking sheet. Mist with olive oil cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place both baking sheets in the oven at the same time, with the chicken on the middle rack and the asparagus on the upper rack. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is tender but still crisp.
• This dish was created by Walmart Mom, Tara Kuczykowski.

CHICKEN PESTO ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Put the chicken breasts on a board and cover with a sheet of baking parchment. Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to bash to an even thickness of about 2cm, being careful not to break the chicken into pieces.
• Combine the lemon zest, crushed garlic, olive oil and some seasoning in a medium bowl, then add the chicken and turn in the marinade to coat. Transfer to the fridge while you make the pesto.
• Toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 mins, shaking the pan often until the almonds are golden brown. Tip into a small food processor or blender. Peel the whole garlic clove and tip this into the food processor along with the parsley, basil, most of the mint leaves, the parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season, then blitz to a fine texture.
• Cook the orzo in a large pan of boiling salted water following the pack instructions, or until al dente. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat and cook the marinated chicken for 4-5 mins on each side until cooked through with char lines. Drain the orzo and transfer the chicken to a plate to rest.
• Drizzle the asparagus spears with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt, then griddle for 3 mins until just softened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Toss most of the pesto through the cooked orzo along with any resting juices from the chicken. The remaining pesto will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days. Slice the chicken breasts. Tip the orzo onto a large serving platter and pile the asparagus and chicken on top, then scatter with the remaining mint leaves, some parmesan shavings and a grinding of black pepper. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve warm.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• In a 6- to 7-quart kettle bring about 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.
• Have ready a bowl of ice water. Trim woody ends from asparagus. Cut asparagus stalks crosswise into 2-inch pieces, reserving tips. In a steamer set over boiling water steam stalks, covered, 4 minutes. Add reserved asparagus tips and steam, covered, until just tender, about 1 minute. Immediately transfer asparagus to ice water to stop cooking. Drain asparagus well in a colander and pat dry.
• In a food processor pulse pine nuts and garlic with salt until finely chopped. Add asparagus and oil and pulse until asparagus is coarsely chopped. Transfer pesto to a large bowl and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta and reserved cooking water to pesto, tossing to coat, and season with salt and pepper.

GORGONZOLA PESTO SAUCE OVER RAVIOLI, CHICKEN & ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. When heated, saute chicken until no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Cook ravioli according to package directions (or make your own according to your favorite recipe). When cooked, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. When heated, fry ravioli until golden on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large pan (I used a wok). When heated, add asparagus and saute about 5 minutes.
• After sauteing asparagus, add sun-dried tomatoes, regular tomatoes and pesto. Cook approximately 10 minutes until the asparagus feels crisp/tender when poked with a fork.
• When asparagus is crisp/tender, add the white wine. Add more or less depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.
• Let cook for approximately 5 minutes or until wine reduces by about a quarter.
• After the wine has reduced, remove the pan from the heat. Gently stir in the Gorgonzola cheese and chicken.
• Place 5 ravioli on each plate and spoon the Gorgonzola mixture over it just before serving.
• Serve with garlic bread and fresh salad.
• You can also substitute scallops or shrimp (or both!) for the chicken.