Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes & Burrata
Nothing beats cooking with summer produce! Fresh basil pesto is always at the top of my list to make all summer long. It only takes a few ingredients and a food processor or blender and boom, you’re in business! I created this Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes & Burrata with all of the summer flavors in mind. The addition of the burrata at the end, added to the hot pasta makes it all gooey and cheesy when combined, yum!
This is a super simple, fun, fresh and fast one pan pasta dish and it’s the perfect weeknight dinner! Cooking the cherry tomatoes over moderate heat with the shallots and garlic, brings out their natural sweetness and once they burst, you’re left with a chunky rustic “sauce” that has an amazing depth of flavor. Combined with the chicken, fresh pesto and a dollop of burrata, it’s a great combo! I hope you enjoy this Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes & Burrata as much as my family does!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
Course
Entree
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
Fresh Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, reserve a few leaves to julienne for garnish
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (to toast them, add pine nuts to a dry pan over medium heat and move around until golden and fragrant, remove from heat immediately)
¼ tsp black pepper
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 Tbsp. water, as needed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken breasts
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
4-5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 shallot, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
12 cherry tomatoes
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 lb. fettuccini pasta (or pasta of choice)
Burrata cheese
2 Tbsp. basil, julienned for garnish
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F
Make the pesto by combining the fresh basil leaves, garlic cloves, toasted pinenuts, pepper, parmesan cheese and 2 Tbsp. of water in a food processor or blender. While it’s running, drizzle in extra virgin olive oil. If it’s too thick, you can add another Tbsp. of water to loosen it. Set it aside until ready to use. If making it ahead, cover it with plastic wrap and press it to touch the top of the pesto to limit air exposure.
On a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle chicken breasts with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cook in 400F degree oven for about 13-15 mins. until cooked through, depending upon the size. Let cook, slice in half horizontally and then into bite sized pieces. Set back on the baking sheet in the juices until ready to add to the pasta.
In a large sauté pan, heat to medium low heat for a minute and add extra virgin olive oil. Add diced shallots, garlic, cherry tomatoes, salt & pepper. Cook for 12- 15 minutes until tomatoes are tender. Press to break them with a fork or a potato masher and then stir to combine with the other ingredients in the pan.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt. Add pasta and cook to specified cooking time.
When pasta is done, use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta into the pan with the tomato mixture, add a ladle of pasta water and use tongs to lift and mix to combine. Add Chicken and mix in, add pesto and combine it all together, turn the heat off. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Take a ball of fresh burrata cheese and break it or cut it into about 8 pieces. Spread them around the pasta and stir in, the heat will melt the cheese.
Top with fresh julienned basil and grated parmesan cheese, serve!