Soft chicken with penne whole wheat pasta wrapped in a creamy basil pesto sauce made with avocado will delight your palate. Is tasty, filling, and quick to throw together. The perfect HEALTHY weeknight meal that your family will love.
In the larger deeper pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken cut into smaller pieces. Fry the chicken for 8-10 minutes until golden on all sides. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan from heat.
In the meantime, boil the green beans for 10 minutes and drain. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package in salted water. Drain the pasta but save the pasta water.
Add boiled beans and cooked pasta in the pan with chicken. Add 3 tablespoons of basil pesto and mix well. Add 1-2 tablespoons water in which the pasta was cooked if pasta is too dry.
Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve warm.
For Basil Pesto
In food processor add fresh basil and walnuts and mince.
Add grated cheese (and garlic if you use it), and continue to mix. Using rubber spatula scrape the mixture from the walls of the bowl.
Add avocado and mix until you get a nice smooth mixture. Add a little olive oil if the mixture is too thick. OR instead of avocado, add olive oil and mix until you get a nice smooth pesto mixture.
Put the pesto in a jar and close with the lid. Keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks.