The summer means grilling out and that doesn’t mean you should lose out on flavor. Try this ziti with grilled chicken and pesto for a yummy and easy dinner option this summer! You can not go wrong with a homemade pesto sauce and grilled chicken. It’s the best combination out there.
To be totally honest with you, I wasn’t sure how this recipe would turn out. I loved the arugula pesto, but I just wasn’t sure how it would work with the cooked chicken and ziti noodles. It’s not creamy (for good reason), so I wasn’t sure what the consistency would be. Maybe it was that anxiety that made me not fall in love with it immediately. Jeremy loved this dish (I think he was surprised that we can have pasta on Weight Watchers – you totally can! – but I just didn’t fall in love with it at first taste.
It took a few bites to really begin to love it. It was a slow love, but I can confidently say that I fell in love with this pasta dish, and I know that you will too. Part of the hesitation was that I didn’t have enough salt and pepper on it. Don’t be too generous, but add more if you like things with a bit more flavor. I am thinking of creating a variation of this dish that has a bit of a kick to it, so look out for that.
Despite the fact that this dish didn’t have much heat to it, it was delicious and it will be added to our “favorites”. We will be adding this to our rotation, for sure.
To make this ziti with grilled chicken and pesto:
Begin by cooking the chicken. Do that by sprinkling salt and pepper to the chicken breasts. Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet to medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add the chicken breasts and cook on both sides until cooked through, about 10 minutes on each side. Chop the chicken into small pieces and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. In a medium sized pot, heat the water to boiling. Add the pasta and cook following the boxes directions. Drain once it’s cooked. Set aside.
Finally, assemble the pasta by combining the pasta, chicken and pesto and mix them together. Add the shredded Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Ziti with Grilled Chicken and Pesto
Ingredients
- Arugula Pesto
- 1/2 lb ziti uncooked
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese crumbled
- 2 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 Tablespoon light butter
Instructions
Cook the chicken:
- Salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet to medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add the chicken breasts and cook on both sides until cooked through, about 10 minutes on each side.
- Chop the chicken into small pieces and set aside.
Cook the pasta:
- In a medium sized pot, heat the water to boiling. Add the pasta and cook following the boxes directions. Drain once it's cooked. Set aside.
Assemble the pasta
- In a large bowl, take the pasta, chicken and pesto and mix them together. Add the shredded Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately.
It’s one of my favorites too – and who doesn’t love pasta? I loved this so much after I added some salt and pepper to it. So good!
Yum! Pasta with chicken and pesto is one of my favorites!