2010 Cooking Club Week 7: Pesto Chicken

Faith

Right, another pretty simple recipe this week. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing!

Pesto Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 heaped teaspoons green pesto
Splash Extra Virgin Olive Oil
300 g pasta such as linguine, Capelli d’Angello or even spaghetti
300 mls cream
1 teaspoon corn flour
Salt & Pepper

Optional:

200 g mushrooms
Parmesan cheese to finish

Serves 4

Method

Note: For optimum flavour, prepare the chicken as far in advance as you can and leave it in the fridge.
Also, the measurements I’ve provided are guesstimations. I do it by eye, and you’ll no doubt do it that way too

1. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces
2. In a pyrex bowl, mix the chicken, garlic, pesto and olive oil well. As above, if you have time, cover it and leave it to marinate in the fridge for as long as you can – anywhere up to 24 hours.
3. If using mushrooms, add them whole to the mixture, cover and cook in the oven for approx 30 mins at 190 degrees. Mix often so the chicken cooks evenly. Take it out once the chicken is done.
4. While the chicken is in the oven, cook the pasta
5. About 5 minutes before removing the chicken, gently heat the cream and stir in the corn flour.
6. When the chicken is done, add it to the warm cream. There’s likely to be a lot of oil in the bowl, so drain it if you’re watching calories – but it adds flavour!
7. Cook the chicken for a few more minutes in the cream and season. Add the cooked pasta.
8. Serve in pasta bowls. Top with grated parmesan if desired.
9. This is awesome served with garlic bread – just don’t go out that evening because you’ll probably kill people with the smell of garlic!

This isn’t a fancy recipe (although make the pesto yourself if you want more of a challenge!), but it’s extremely tasty and comforting. It’s not light on calories, or garlic, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it .

Pembily

Oh yummy, will try this during the week!!! Simple is good, anyway if we want to complicate it we all know how to!!! Thanks!

I logged on and remembered it was Monday and thought "Oh yippee a new recipe" - sad or what!!:rolleyes:

Faith

Because someone nearly always asks, when made with double cream, linguine and no mushrooms or cheese, there's roughly 700 cals per serving.

Pembily

Faith wrote: »

Because someone nearly always asks, when made with double cream, linguine and no mushrooms or cheese, there's roughly 700 cals per serving.

Is double cream higher in calories? What is the difference? Would normal do in this dish?

kylith

Does anyone know if pine nuts count as nuts? OH is allergic to nuts so I avoid pesto in dishes, but this sounds so yummy I want to try it.

John Mason

LOL - well, des is out of this one - he hates pesto and pasta

but i shall give it ago, will make my own pesto though

Malari

kylith wrote: »

Does anyone know if pine nuts count as nuts? OH is allergic to nuts so I avoid pesto in dishes, but this sounds so yummy I want to try it.

They are actually seeds, not nuts! But I don't know anything about how they relate to nut allergies so better check with your OH.

Pembily

kylith wrote: »

Does anyone know if pine nuts count as nuts? OH is allergic to nuts so I avoid pesto in dishes, but this sounds so yummy I want to try it.

My sister is allergic to nuts and cant eat pesto anymore but ask your otherhalf as only he fully knows, each person is different as she can eat almonds!!

kylith

Thanks folks. He seems to be able to eat almonds (at least by the amount of Korma he eats!), but has no idea if he can eat pine nuts because he tends to avoid anything with 'nut' in the name.

I guess I won't risk it. I'm sure if I make my own it won't suffer too much from the lack of pine nuts.

Faith

Pembily wrote: »

Is double cream higher in calories? What is the difference? Would normal do in this dish?

Yeah, double cream is about twice the calories! And twice the fat. I doubt it would make a difference if you used single cream, it can just be a bit challenging to find here. Unless it's called "single cream" or maybe "pouring cream", it tends to be double. Normal will have about 360 cals per 100 mls, whereas single will have less than 200 cals per 100 mls.

Actually, I think most cream is somewhere in between double and single? I'm more used to the UK where it's labelled as which one it is. Most here is just called "Fresh cream". Best to check the calories on the carton.

The difference is the amount of fat in it. Single cream is not suitable for whipping due to there not being enough fat in it.

nice1franko

This sounds great. I wish panner Tuesday was Wednesday so I could make this tmrw.

Malari

nice1franko wrote: »

This sounds great. I wish panner Tuesday was Wednesday so I could make this tmrw.

Just have Pancake Wednesday! You never know, it might catch on What a ridiculous idea to confine pancakes to only one day a year.

Hmm, savoury pancakes with pesto chicken topping...might just try that later.

nice1franko

Aw no, pancakes are a regular fixture in my place. We have them about once a month. It just feels like you *have to* have them today

Actually, in the 80's my ma used to make them about once a month too. She called it 'Skinny Tuesday' ... my da was on a 3 day week and got paid the last Wednesday of every month - how else can ya feed 6 childers with about 2 quid!

NeoSlicerZ

Do you dice the garlic cloves first?

Faith

NeoSlicerZ wrote: »

Do you dice the garlic cloves first?

I crush them, but dicing is grand. I should edit my post actually, thanks.

NeoSlicerZ

Faith wrote: »

I crush them, but dicing is grand. I should edit my post actually, thanks.

Thanks for the clarification!

Tiriel

Mmm looking forward to this! Thanks for the recipe, think it will be a Saturday night treat

John Mason

well, i made this tonight

just a suggestion, dont invite another boardies up and have a few beers because you will smash the pyrex bowl taking it out of the oven and you will end up with crunch pesto pasta which needs to go in the bin

Tiriel

irishbird wrote: »

well, i made this tonight

just a suggestion, dont invite another boardies up and have a few beers because you will smash the pyrex bowl taking it out of the oven and you will end up with crunch pesto pasta which needs to go in the bin

:eek: oh no!!! You must have been gutted!!!

John Mason

Cork_girl wrote: »

:eek: oh no!!! You must have been gutted!!!

yeah, especially since i made my own pesto and raped my basil plant:mad: but i did taste some of it and it was lovely

NeoSlicerZ

Made this tonight, good stuff!

blueirishangel

Was hoping to make this this weekend, but I've eaten a lot of chicken this week! Might be next week now.

Irishbird - how did you make your pesto? I've seen different recipes but I'd like to try a tested one!

John Mason

blueirishangel wrote: »

Was hoping to make this this weekend, but I've eaten a lot of chicken this week! Might be next week now.

Irishbird - how did you make your pesto? I've seen different recipes but I'd like to try a tested one!

100g of Parmesan cheese

125g of pine nuts

125ml of extra virgin oil

2 cloves of garlic

good pinch of salt (i would leave to taste)

50 basil leaves - i usually use a whole plant


stick it all in a blender


the secret is good parmesan, it make such a difference

John Mason

here is my attempt, couldnt eat it, as it was full of glass but smelled lovely:)

Tiriel

irishbird wrote: »

here is my attempt, couldnt eat it, as it was full of glass but smelled lovely:)

With the offender skulking in the background I see!

Mr Magnolia

Made this tonight. Mrs Magnolia made the pesto earlier today and marinated the chicken so there was already plenty of garlic in there, I added another 3 cloves to the mix for 3 chicken breasts.

One teaspoon of corn flour wasn't enough so I mixed another with some sauce and mixed it through. This would have been sufficient had I left it for a moment but lack of patience meant I added another (too much). The sauce still coated the pasta beautifully and I really enjoyed it even though I don't normally go for creamy pasta dishes. I'm told I'll certainly be making it again so another success for the Cooking Club. Thanks Faith!



Oh, the garlic bread was great for breaking up the rich creamy texture so I'd agree with Faith in recommending it as an accompaniment.

kerash

I made this last night, it was yummy - thanks faith

p.s I reek of garlic

The Black Oil

This is marinating in the fridge and will be in the oven tomorrow. The garlic! I'm sure it will be tasty, though.

blueirishangel

irishbird wrote: »

100g of Parmesan cheese

125g of pine nuts

125ml of extra virgin oil

2 cloves of garlic

good pinch of salt (i would leave to taste)

50 basil leaves - i usually use a whole plant


stick it all in a blender


the secret is good parmesan, it make such a difference

Made the pesto and all in the oven now! Thanks.

I have to say, I am really enjoying trying out new dishes!
Thanks to everyone

blueirishangel

Will the leftovers from this be ok to reheat tomorrow lunchtime?

blueirishangel

Here's my attempt.

Didn't marinate, cos wasn't time but was still delish! Really tasty.

Faith

blueirishangel wrote: »

Will the leftovers from this be ok to reheat tomorrow lunchtime?

Should be. Reheat it gently on the stove if you can though.

nice1franko

Made this last week and it was delish. I made it with vermicelli pasta and it was good with it; sauce really got all up in it and ciabatta garlic bread.

I ended up adding a whole jar of pesto though because it seemed just a tad creamy... so looked like this:



I found a bit too garlicy though. I'll defo make it again but with half that amount of garlic.

The Black Oil

Overall verdict...tasty, but a bit too creamy and the pesto suffered as it didn't really come through. I think I'll put in a good bit more next time. Will definitely be trying it again.

Malari

I'm doing this tonight and have had my chicken marinating all night. There was an incredible garlicky smell in the kitchen during breakfast Woops...

Oh and I used red pesto - made with sun-dried tomatoes. I already had an open jar and pesto tends to be one of these things I desire only once every 6 months so I thought I'd use it up instead of buying a new one!

Malari

Oh yeah, that was fantastic! Very simple ingredients and didn't expect it to be so flavoursome but it was great. Baking the chicken made it really moist.

Chapeau Faith!

xzanti

I'm making this tonight and I just have a few small (possibly silly ) questions..

1. Can I use sour cream?
2. Does it have to be corn flour or will plain flour do? Or are they the same thing?
3. If I add mushrooms will I need to up the quantities on the cream etc?

Cheers

Faith

xzanti wrote: »

I'm making this tonight and I just have a few small (possibly silly ) questions..

1. Can I use sour cream?
2. Does it have to be corn flour or will plain flour do? Or are they the same thing?
3. If I add mushrooms will I need to up the quantities on the cream etc?

Cheers

1. I guess you could use sour cream, or creme fraiche. It wouldn't need the flour then though, as it already has a much thicker consistency. If you do use either, then let me know how they go!

2. Normal flour should be grand too.

3. You can use the same volume of cream if you add mushrooms. They don't make much difference.

trustno1

This looks stunning and I might try it over the weekend - but could I use cream cheese (like philadelphia) instead of\or with the cream?

Faith

trustno1 wrote: »

This looks stunning and I might try it over the weekend - but could I use cream cheese (like philadelphia) instead of\or with the cream?

Hmm. I never cook with cream cheese so I really don't know if it would be suitable. You could melt some in the cream for flavour, yeah, but I really don't know if it's suitable to use instead of cream, sorry!

xzanti

That is some good eatin' .. I'd no camera to take a pic but it looked as good as it tasted, the OH cleaned the pot, even though there was enough there to feed 4.. I used normal double cream and penne pasta, I'm going to make it next time I have people over for dinner..

Thanks Faith

xzanti

I did this again for dinner last night and used way to much pesto and I ruined it.. smelled like vomit next time I won't be so enthusiastic with it.. was so much nicer the first time..

We live and learn..

Little Alex

Faith wrote: »

1. I guess you could use sour cream, or creme fraiche. It wouldn't need the flour then though, as it already has a much thicker consistency. If you do use either, then let me know how they go!

2. Normal flour should be grand too.

3. You can use the same volume of cream if you add mushrooms. They don't make much difference.

I made mine with low fat creme fraiche and it didn't split. Turned out just fine.

Faith wrote: »

Hmm. I never cook with cream cheese so I really don't know if it would be suitable. You could melt some in the cream for flavour, yeah, but I really don't know if it's suitable to use instead of cream, sorry!

That would work too as it "melts".

Thank you, Faith. Nice recipe!



To honour the occasion I made some bread with tapenade (black olive, olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and sundried tomatoes) and mozzarella.

angeldelight

I only got around to making this on Monday and it was delicious! I added a bit more pesto and when I make it again (which I am on Saturday night for guests!) I'll add more pesto again. I just found the flavour of the cream a bit overpowering.

Big thumbs up though, looking forward to Saturday already!

blahblah06

faith can I ask when it comes to the mushrooms do you put them in the mix the night before or do you add it when your cooking?

Faith

blahblah06 wrote: »

faith can I ask when it comes to the mushrooms do you put them in the mix the night before or do you add it when your cooking?

I'd add them in just before cooking.

The Lovely Muffin

Is there a particular brand/type of pesto to use in this recipe?

In my local supermarket, there are various types, and I don't know which is best to use (I've never made this before)

According to my mum, they had the following types/brands in there. Our local supermarkets are Dunnes Stores and Supervalu.

Salca (Green pesto sauce) - Wild Rocket / classic pesto /
Filippo Berio Pesto Sauce (Green) - Classic Pesto
De Cecco Pesto Alla Genovese
Jamie Oliver - Green Pesto / Italian herb pesto

Thank you.

Malari

Purple_Bobbin wrote: »

Is there a particular brand/type of pesto to use in this recipe?

In my local supermarket, there are various types, and I don't know which is best to use (I've never made this before)

According to my mum, they had the following types/brands in there. Our local supermarkets are Dunnes Stores and Supervalu.

Salca (Green pesto sauce) - Wild Rocket / classic pesto /
Filippo Berio Pesto Sauce (Green) - Classic Pesto
De Cecco Pesto Alla Genovese
Jamie Oliver - Green Pesto / Italian herb pesto

Thank you.

I used the fresh own-brand pesto in the fridge section in Dunnes this week and thought it was really tasty.

The Lovely Muffin

Malari wrote: »

I used the fresh own-brand pesto in the fridge section in Dunnes this week and thought it was really tasty.

Brilliant, thank you.

Hope they have it in my local Dunnes, they seem to be out of a lot of things lately.

blueirishangel

I love the jamie Oliver one!

The Lovely Muffin

Thank you.

I got the dunnes brand one so I'll give it a try tomorrow and see how it goes.