Fresh Italian basil leaves - 2 cups, tightly packed
Raw whole cashew - 15 to 18, toasted (or ¼ cup pine nuts)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Extra virgin olive oil - ½ cup
Salt and pepper to taste
For Pasta:
Fusilli pasta - 2 cups, dry
Chicken thigh or breast - 300 gms, boneless and skinless
Olive oil - 4 tbsp
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves, minced
Cheddar cheese - ½ cup, grated
Basil pesto - ½ cup
Instructions
For making basil pesto:
First chop the garlic cloves in your food processor. If using a blender, you can add the garlic along with the basil leaves.
Then add all the basil leaves to the processor jar and process until all the leaves are finely chopped.
Now add the toasted cashew or the nuts you are using. Process them until broken into tiny pieces.
Next start pouring the olive oil through the feeding tube keeping the processor on. Stop in between, open the lid of the processor and give a stir using a spatula.
If using a blender, then add the olive oil in 2-3 installments blending after each addition.
Process or blend until all the oil is incorporated. You may increase or decrease the quantity of olive oil as per your preference.
Season with salt & pepper and process one final time for 5 seconds and your basil pesto is done and ready to use.
Transfer the basil pesto to an airtight jar and reserve upto 7 days in the refrigerator and a month in the freezer.
For making fusilli with pesto:
Cook the fusilli pasta in salted boiling water as per packet instructions or till al-dente. While draining the pasta, make sure to reserve a cup of pasta water (i.e. the hot water in which you were cooking the pasta).
While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. You can use chicken thighs (which I prefer) or chicken breast as per your liking; but just remember that chicken breast cooks way faster than thighs and overcooking may turn them hard.
Now heat a large skillet and add half of the olive oil to it. Once the oil is warm, add grated garlic and sauté for a minute.
Then add the chicken cubes and cook them on medium heat until they are completely cooked through and turn brown on all sides. This would take about 8 to 10 minutes for chicken thighs on medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper.
Once done, take the chicken out on a plate and set aside until needed.
Now to the same skillet, add remaining olive oil and let it warm. Then add half a cup of the basil pesto that you made and stir to mix in with the olive oil in the skillet.
Once the pesto warms up, add cooked fusilli and start mixing it with pesto using a spatula.
Add a little pasta water to ease the mixing of pesto and pasta. Don't worry, your fusilli with pesto won't be watery; pasta will soak up all the water leaving you with a crispy pesto pasta.
Once the fusilli pasta is mixed well with the pesto, add in the cooked chicken and give a good mix using the spatula. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed. Do keep in mind that pesto is already seasoned with salt.
Now add the grated cheese of your choice. I recommend using cheddar cheese which is our all-time favorite.
Cover the skillet for a couple of minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Give a final stir to mix in the melted cheese evenly.
Your fusilli with pesto and chicken is ready! Serve it with some extra pesto and chilli flakes on the side to add an extra kick! Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2024/05/fusilli-with-pesto-and-chicken/