Lunch · Italian

Pesto chicken pasta salad

Name: Pesto chicken pasta salad
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 300g Penne; 400g Chicken breast fillets; 190g Green pesto; 250g Cherry tomatoes; 60g Rocket, packed separately; 30g Italian-style hard cheese; 1 Lemon; 1 tbsp Olive oil

Proper chicken, pesto and a squeeze of lemon. Nothing like the meal deal version.

Start to finish: 45 min
Hands-on: 25 min
In the fridge: 3 days
Freezes: Not well

Contains gluten, dairy, nuts

Ingredients

4 portions

300gPenne
400gChicken breast fillets
190gGreen pesto
250gCherry tomatoes
60gRocket, packed separately
30gItalian-style hard cheese
1Lemon
1 tbspOlive oil

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Rub the chicken with the oil, the lemon zest and some salt and pepper, and lay it on a small tray.
2
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through with no pink in the middle. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
28 min, mostly hands-off
3
Meanwhile, cook the penne in a big pan of salted water for 11 minutes.
17 min, mostly hands-off
4
Drain and toss straight away with the pesto and lemon juice. Spread out in a wide dish to cool.
5
Halve the tomatoes and finely grate the cheese.
6
Slice the chicken and fold it through the pasta with the tomatoes and cheese. Pack into tubs. Split the rocket into 4 small bags or pots to add on the day.

On the day

Eat cold. Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before lunch, give it a stir and pile the rocket on just before eating so it stays perky.

Cook’s tip

Let the chicken rest before you slice it. Cut it hot and the juices end up on the board instead of in the meat.