MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tbsp for cooking
1 clove of garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 medium-sized zucchinis
Cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Pesto
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place walnuts onto a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature.
- In a blender or food processor add the minced garlic, toasted walnuts and sea salt. Pulse or blend until mixture turns into large crumbs. Add the basil leaves and lemon juice.
- With food processor running, slowly add olive oil to the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary and pulse until all large pieces of basil have been minced and all ingredients are combined.
Pasta
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place chicken breast on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, flip to the other side and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool to room temperature and then dice into small chunks.
- While chicken is cooking, peel the skin off of the zucchini. Then using a julienne peeler, peel the zucchini lengthwise. Do one side until you reach the seeds in the middle. Rotate and peel the other side. Keep peeling each side, avoiding the seeds in the middle of the zucchini. Set noodles aside.
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise and set aside.
- On medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to large skillet. Add in zucchini noodles, chopped tomatoes, pesto and diced chicken. Sautee mixture for 8-10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!