Thursday, July 5, 2012

My Favorite Dinner - Grilled Chicken with Basil Pesto Fettucini

Grilled Chicken With Basil Pesto Fettucini
Buttered Green Beans
Corn on the Cob 

I think this is my all-time favorite dinner. I love the way it looks on the plate, and it tastes amazing! I originally got the recipe from Candace, who, like many of my blogger friends, has a whole murder of recipes* up her sleeve!


My basil, as of yesterday, July 4, 2012

Basil Pesto, upper right
In a couple days, I will be making this for dinner (again), using my own homemade basil pesto. My basil, as you can see in the photo above, is finally amounting to something. I planted a lot of seeds in late May, watered them faithfully, and with this heat wave, the stuff is growing like crazy.


Grilled Chicken with Basil Pesto Fettucini, Recipe:

In a baking dish, sprinkle boneless chicken breasts with McCormick's Perfect Pinch Mediterranean Herb seasoning.

Poke holes in the chicken breasts and pour a generous amount of Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar over them.

Marinate at least 30 minutes. Half a day would be better. Grill chicken breasts until just done.

Cook fettucini (GF, as in Tinkyada brand). Drain. Add homemade basil pesto (recipe below) or Classico Traditional Basil Pesto to it. Also, add fresh spinach, sundried tomatoes and crushed red pepper to the pasta before serving.

Slice the chicken breast and serve on top of the pasta.


Basil Pesto Recipe:
From Simply Recipes: 

'Every year we plant basil and every year the plants do so well that we can't use it up fast enough. What to do? Basil pesto, of course! Here is a simple recipe. Note that pesto is always made to taste, based on the ingredients at hand. So adjust the ingredients to your taste. Most pesto recipes call for Parmesan cheese, we often use Romano which has a stronger flavor. Most basil pesto recipes call for pine nuts but you can easily substitute walnuts.

If you want to freeze the pesto you make, omit the cheese (it doesn't freeze well). Line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap, and fill each pocket with the pesto. Freeze and then remove from the ice tray and store in a freezer bag. When you want to use, defrost and add in grated Parmesan or Romano.

    * 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
    * 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
    * 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
    * 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
    * 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
    * Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.


Makes 1 cup.'


Have you seen the price of pine nuts lately???  I'm liking walnuts better all the time, although they've really gone up in price too. What to do.

* I think 'a murder of recipes' should be an apt term for many killer recipes.

It works for crows.


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22 comments:

Maggie Ann said...

That looks delicious! and your plate is really pretty also. I love dishs!! My basil was like yours last year, but I goofed this year. My herbs had grown into monsters and I pulled many...intending to replant them and forgot. I still have rosemary and some mint though.

Paulette said...

yummy :))

Deanna said...

Oh, wow! That looks fabulous. Btw, I'm always looking for guest posts for my cooking blog. (hint, hint)

deeskitchen.blogspot.com

Life Happens said...

That looks delish. I've never made homemade pesto before. What a yummy dinner!

MadSnapper said...

i would love a plate of this for dinner. and WOW on the first photo. i can not get my food photos to come out clear like this. is there a secret ?

Mary said...

I love that you have all of that basil..Hummm...is it in shade, sun, part shade, part sun? Oh I wanna grow some like that.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

We love grilled chicken and have it a lot but I never think of serving it over fettucini! I know I would love it!

Judy S. said...

Sounds tasty! My favorite GF pasta is Bionature; have you tried it?

Debra Hawkins said...

Oh my gosh. This looks so amazing. I want to eat it now, for breakfast!

Lois Christensen said...

This looks delicious! My daughter would love it! Would you like to link this recipe up with my linky party tomorrow? It looks great!

Ruth Kelly said...

All that wonderful fresh food - the best cure in the world for what ails you. I've never tried to make a basil pesto - sounds delish. I do love to use basil in other dishes.

Heide at ApronHistory said...

Very sad, we forgot to plant basil this year! Guess I will have to get it at the farmer's market. I can imagine it is loving this hot weather.
We made a bunch of pesto and froze it one year. It is interesting that the recipe says the cheese doesn't freeze well. It certainly didn't come out of the freezer as good as it was fresh! I think I will try making a small fresh batch. Tomatoes are not friendly to me and I am always looking for other ways to have pasta.

Candace said...

Thanks so much for the shout out, Judy! Your basil looks fantastic. This is the first year in a long time that I haven't had any basil. I haven't done much gardening at all this year. This pesto recipe is one of our favorites and while the Classico is a great substitute, it's even better when you have homemade. I wish I could join you when you make this again with yours. Thankfully, I cleaned out the pantry yesterday and found a couple of jars of the Classico. Since I won't be able to dine at your house, I think I am going to have to be making that pesto pasta again in the next few days. I feel a craving coming on! :)

Angie Vik said...

That looks tasty. And pretty. I love all the colors. This looks like something my daughter would like.

You asked about Duluth traffic. There's a lot of road construction on i-35 but there's not a lot of obvious damage from the flood. If you're patient with the freeway construction, you should be able to get around okay. Hope you have a great weekend.

Yenta Mary said...

Oh, it's almost lunchtime, and this was NOT the time to look at your fabulous dinner photos!!! And the church picture is so beautiful ... I watched William and Catherine's wedding, of course, which was such a grand time! So stately, compared to those MOST entertaining Parliamentarians ... :)

Denise said...

Sounds delicious.

Rachel said...

OMG- that looks amazing!! The Lean Cuisine I brought for lunch is no longer appetizing! :)

Chatty Crone said...

YUMMY! sandie

Kara at Petals to Picots said...

Looks delicious ... and so healthy too!

J_on_tour said...

Colourful meal, colourful post and I love your Basil. I saved your recipe onto the "desktop" for use soon. Praise indeed.

Kara at Petals to Picots said...

I am featuring you today at my I Love Fridays party! Feel free to stop by and grab a button :)

debbie bailey said...

I wonder if you could use pecans in pesto? Walnuts make me ill, and like you say, pine nuts are pretty expensive.

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