Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

• 500g boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 150ml hot chicken stock
• 160g frozen peas
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 200ml double cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 400g penne
• 4 tbsp green pesto
• 60g Parmesan, finely grated
• 0.5 lemon, juiced
• 30g pine nuts, toasted
• 15g basil leaves, torn
• ciabatta, to serve
• rocket and Parmesan salad, to serve

Method

1. Cook the penne in plenty of well-salted boiling water until just al dente, around 9 to 10 minutes. Scoop out a mugful of the starchy cooking water before draining.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over a high heat. Season the diced chicken generously and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden on the outside and cooked through.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not coloured, then stir in the pesto so it coats the chicken and slicks the pan.
4. Pour in the cream and hot stock and let it simmer gently for 3 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy. Fold in the frozen peas and warm through for 2 minutes until they turn bright green.
5. Tip in the drained pasta along with the Parmesan and lemon juice. Toss everything together, loosening with splashes of the reserved pasta water until the sauce is silky rather than claggy and clings to every piece. Taste and season well with salt and black pepper.
6. Serve immediately into warm bowls, scattered with toasted pine nuts and torn basil, with ciabatta and a sharp rocket and Parmesan salad alongside.