Pasta shells with chicken and pesto
6 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Conchiglie shells | |
| Allow 4 large shells per person | ||
| 4 | tablespoons | Pesto sauce; (use commercial |
| ; preparation or make | ||
| ; from the following) | ||
| 2 | Chicken breasts; skin removed | |
| 1 | large | Sprig fresh thyme |
| 8 | Peppercorns | |
| 1 | Pinches salt | |
| 100 | millilitres | Dry white wine |
| 250 | millilitres | Cream |
| 2 | tablespoons | Finely chopped parsley |
| 75 | grams | Pine nuts; toasted |
| Salt and ground pepper to taste | ||
| 120 | grams | Or 1 bunch basil; leaves picked and |
| ; washed | ||
| 3 | Cloves garlic; peeled | |
| 75 | grams | Pine nuts |
| 100 | grams | Freshly grated parmesan cheese |
| 250 | millilitres | Olive oil |
| Freshly ground pepper | ||
| And salt to taste | ||
Directions
PESTO
Place the breasts in a saucepan with the thyme, salt and peppercorns and cover with cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 15 minutes. (This can be done the day before).
Cook the conchiglie in a large pot of boiling salted water, with a little olive oil keeping them separated as they cook, approximately 15 minutes.
Drain and refresh in cold water.
Drain the chicken, and reduce the liquid (stock) to approximately 100ml.
Chop breasts finely or mince.
Place the wine in a saucepan and reduce by half. Add cream, reduce stock and 2 tbsp pesto sauce. Bring to boil and simmer until a smooth texture is achieved. (It should coat the back of a spoon). Taste and adjust seasoning.
Bind the chicken flesh with remaining pesto mixture and half the pine nuts.
Spoon carefully into the shells, laying them in a buttered baking tray.
Pour over remaining sauce, cover with buttered foil and bake at 180c for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook at the top of the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until slightly browned.
Sprinkle with extra pine nuts and parsley and serve.
PESTO:
Grind, pound or blend the basil, garlic and pine nuts with a pinch of salt and a grind of ground pepper.
Mix in the cheese.
Add the olive oil a little at a time mixing well with each addition so the sauce binds together (for a thicker sauce add less oil).
Check for seasoning and adjust. "I play around with the quantities depending on what I'm using this for - sometimes garlickly - sometimes cheesier and sometimes runny", says Felicity Fraser.
Converted by MC_Buster.
Per serving: 779 Calories (kcal); 72g Total Fat; (83% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 102mg Cholesterol; 169mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3½ Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 12 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0n.