Pappardelle With Chicken, Broccoli & Pesto Sauce
This recipe delivers a rich and flavorful Pappardelle dish featuring a vibrant homemade basil pesto, tender shredded chicken, and perfectly cooked broccoli florets. The creamy sauce beautifully coats the pasta, creating a satisfying and aromatic meal that's perfect for a quick yet elegant dinner.
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor For making the pesto quickly and efficiently.
- 1 Large Pot For boiling pasta and blanching broccoli.
- 1 Large Skillet or Sauté Pan For warming the sauce and combining ingredients.
- 1 Small Dry Pan For lightly toasting pine nuts.
- 1 Cheese Grater For finely grating Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses.
Ingredients
Main
- For pesto:
- cup approximately 2 of basil leaves
- pinch of salt
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts lightly toasted
- 2 tablespoons pecorino cheese grated finely
- 2 tablespoons parmesan grated finely
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- (Note: if you don't have pecorino cheese substitute wit
- For the pasta:
- 1 cup of pesto
- 125 ml cream
- 2 cups of cooked chicken shredded
- 2 cups of broccoli florets
- 250 grams pappardelle or other pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- generous handful pine nuts lightly toasted
- freshly grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Lightly toast both portions of pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and golden. Set aside to cool.
- In a food processor, combine basil leaves, a pinch of salt, garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons of the toasted pine nuts, grated pecorino cheese, grated parmesan cheese, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Pulse until a coarse paste forms.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pappardelle pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
- During the last 2-3 minutes of the pasta's cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water to blanch them until tender-crisp.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving about half a cup of the starchy pasta water.
- In a large skillet or the cleaned pasta pot, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of the prepared pesto and 125 ml of cream. Gently warm through, stirring constantly, ensuring the sauce does not boil.
- Add the shredded cooked chicken, the drained pappardelle, and broccoli to the sauce. Toss to coat all ingredients evenly.
- If the sauce appears too thick, add a tablespoon or two of the reserved pasta water to achieve your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately, garnished generously with the remaining toasted pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
For the pesto, always toast your pine nuts lightly; this significantly deepens their flavor. Pulse the pesto ingredients in a food processor rather than blending continuously to prevent over-oxidization and maintain a vibrant green color and fresh basil taste. Cook the pasta to al dente, and add the broccoli directly to the pasta water a few minutes before the pasta is done to blanch it to tender-crisp perfection. This saves a pan and ensures the broccoli retains its slight bite. When combining the pesto and cream, gently warm the sauce over low heat; do not boil, as high heat can dull the fresh flavor of the pesto. Reserve a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed, ensuring a silky consistency.