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Kally’s Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken

Hello and welcome! Today’s recipe is another shout out to my friend in St. Louis who has only two more chemo treatments left! While I was visiting her, I made her go-to comfort food, Pesto Pasta with cherry tomatoes. I have to ask her to be sure, but I think she has pesto pasta a few times a week. So today I wanted to give her a variation on her comfort pasta: Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken. It’s a quick and easy recipe, let’s get to it!

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This particular version is something I have made often, since I discovered Trader Joe’s frozen chicken nuggets many years ago. You can use any cooked chicken you like; be it leftovers, rotisserie or otherwise. But I will say the breaded nuggets are so good! They get a crunchy exterior in the oven and while the pesto does soften some of that crunch, a lot of it remains for a wonderful texture variation.

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Prep

If you’re on team chicken nugget, get the oven preheating and get 4 quarts of water set to boil for the pasta. Bake the chicken nuggets and when they are halfway done (at about minute 10), add the kosher salt and then the pasta to the boiling water. This fusilli will take about 8 minutes to get to al dente, stir occasionally. While this is happening, slice the cherry or grape tomatoes into quarters, lengthwise.

Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside, then drain the noodles. By now the chicken nuggets should be ready. Because they’re still super hot, I use my kitchen shears to cut the nuggets in half.

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So we have 1 cup of pesto (I made this pesto but you can use store bought if you prefer). Then we have our prepped tomatoes, the cooked al dente fusilli and the pasta water.

Easy Pasta, Quick Pasta, Pesto Pasta, Chicken Nuggets, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's Chicken Nuggets, fresh pesto, Basil Pesto, fusilli, fusilli pasta, summer pasta, protein, easy dinner, weeknight pasta, Prep, Kally's Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken

In the same pot we used to boil the pasta, pour the pasta back into the pot and set the burner to low. Add the pesto to the pasta and pour about half of the pasta water in, and vigorously stir. Use as much more pasta water as needed and keep stirring to create a creamy pesto sauce that coats all the pasta.

Add the halved chicken nuggets and fold them into the pesto pasta.

Cut the heat and fold in the tomatoes.

And that’s it! We are ready to serve. Scoop a portion into a wide shallow bowl and top with parmesan cheese, flaky finishing salt and black pepper.

Kally’s Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken

Easy Pasta, Quick Pasta, Pesto Pasta, Chicken Nuggets, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's Chicken Nuggets, fresh pesto, Basil Pesto, fusilli, fusilli pasta, summer pasta, protein, easy dinner, weeknight pasta, Prep, Kally's Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken

Such a an easy, quick bowl of goodness! If you like pesto, and you like chicken, you know that pesto and chicken were meant to go together and this Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken is a perfect combination of the two. The breaded chicken nuggets are my favorite way to go with this recipe because of that crispy breading, but as I mentioned, you can use any cooked chicken. Adding the protein makes this a complete meal and is perfect when you need to keep your strength up!

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Definitely give Kally’s Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken a try and let me know what you think! Want another comforting pasta dish that is perfect for summer? Try Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta. See you tomorrow, take care and be well, friends. xo Kelly

Key Equipment

Kally's Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes and Chicken

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Dinner, Main Course American/Italian
By Kelly Djalali Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Fresh pesto coats fusilli pasta with cherry tomatoes and crispy baked chicken nuggets. An easy recipe for an ultra-comforting bowl of pasta.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Frozen Chicken Nuggets
  • 1 lb. Fusilli Pasta
  • 2 tbsp. Diamond Kosher Salt (for pasta water) or 1.5 tbsp. Morton's Kosher Salt or 2-3 tsp. Table Salt
  • 1 cup Halved Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
  • 1 cup Pesto
  • Parmesan Cheese, for garnish
  • Flaky Finishing Salt, for garnish
  • Black Pepper, for garnish

Instructions

1

If you're on team chicken nugget, get the oven preheating and get 4 quarts of water set to boil for the pasta. Bake the chicken nuggets and when they are halfway done (at about minute 10), add the kosher salt and then the pasta to the boiling water.

2

Boil the pasta for about 8 minutes until al dente, stir occasionally.

3

Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside, then drain the noodles. By now the chicken nuggets should be ready. Because they're still super hot, I use my kitchen shears to cut the nuggets in half.

4

In the same pot we used to boil the pasta, pour the pasta back into the pot and set the burner to low. Add the pesto to the pasta and pour about half of the pasta water in, and vigorously stir. Use as much more pasta water as needed and keep stirring to create a creamy pesto sauce that coats all the pasta.

5

Add the halved chicken nuggets and fold them into the pesto pasta.

6

Cut the heat and fold in the tomatoes.

7

Scoop a portion into a wide shallow bowl and top with parmesan cheese, flaky finishing salt and black pepper.

Notes

Instead of nuggets, you can use 1-2 cups leftover chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken, if you prefer.

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  • Mari
    July 14, 2022 at 9:56 am

    What a terrific idea for a meal. It has all the best flavors, and it looks beautiful. Pesto is just wonderful whatever you mix it with, and the green color is especially welcome in the hot summer months. I love the different pasta shapes, and fusilli is in the top three. I have a lot of restocking to do after Tuesday’s horrible storm. We lost a tree in the backyard, the power was off for almost 24 hours which killed everything in my refrigerator. I had just stocked up on butter and cheese. Other than having to stay at a very expensive hotel with beds like cement for the night, and trees blocking streets everywhere, everyone was unharmed. Pouring two gallons of milk and a quart of cream down the drain, and tossing out perishables is preferable to being injured or losing part of the roof. It really puts things in perspective. My daughter who lives near Washington also lost a tree. That storm was relentless. On a happier note, I’m happy your friend is almost done with chemo. It must be such a relief to have gotten over that hurdle. She is always in our prayers and so are you. If anyone needs prayers, I would be happy to include them as well. Happy Thursday to Kelly, Alex, Terry and the delightful dogs. It’s a beautiful day and I’m making todays recipe. I’d call that a win!

    • Kelly Djalali
      July 14, 2022 at 2:14 pm

      Hello Mari. WOW! that storm sounds like quite a doozy. I am relieved everyone is ok. We had a bad storm on July 3 that caused several trees to fall and block the roads in Beth’s neighborhood, but our neighborhood was spared. Thankfully. Thank you so much for thinking of my friend; we are all looking forward to her full recovery. Have a lovely day and enjoy the pesto pasta! xo Kelly

  • Mary
    July 14, 2022 at 9:59 am

    Sounds delicious. I’m always looking for quick ideas using leftover grilled chicken.

    • Kelly Djalali
      July 14, 2022 at 2:15 pm

      Hi Mary, It’s a great way to use leftover chicken! Thanks so much for stopping by today 😊 xo Kelly

  • Carroll
    July 14, 2022 at 10:04 am

    I think I’ll give this a try, but with eggplant instead of chicken. Did the pasta come from Trader Joe’s?

    • Kelly Djalali
      July 14, 2022 at 2:16 pm

      Great idea, Carroll! The pasta is from my local Publix supermarket, though Trader Joe’s does have some fun shapes. Thank you for stopping by today! xo Kelly

  • Terry
    July 14, 2022 at 10:46 am

    Definitely a comfort food right here and using chicken nuggets what a great idea… have a great Thursday ❤️🤗 mom

    • Kelly Djalali
      July 14, 2022 at 2:17 pm

      Most definitely! have a great day, Mom! xo Kelly

  • Jackie
    July 15, 2022 at 9:35 am

    I made this for dinner last night with rotisserie chicken and it was great! Thanks for the tasty but easy recipe.

    • Kelly Djalali
      July 15, 2022 at 10:28 am

      You’re so welcome, Jackie! I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe. Have a great weekend! xo Kelly