Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Cilantro-Serrano Pesto with Grilled Chicken and Penne

So this is a CL recipe but the NI was wrong so I had to run it through SP. Why was the NI wrong? Because there is no way that 3 oz of penne = 6 C cooked. It = 1.5C cooked. That's what we thought, and confirmed. So the NI was wrong because we only got 4 servings instead of 6 and our NI was much less.

It was pretty easy to make. It was really good. I wasn't sure about the mint (not big on it) but was pleasantly surprised. The 2 serranos added spiciness, but for us not overwhelming. Will have again.

Cilantro-Serrano Pesto with Grilled Chicken and Penne

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup cotija cheese (used Parmesan)
3 tablespoons toasted pecan halves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1 serrano chile, seeded and sliced (used 2)
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (used 1 tsp sherry, and 1 tsp vinegar)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
Cooking spray
6 cups hot cooked penne pasta (about 3 ounces uncooked) (used 3oz)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions
Place cilantro and next 6 ingredients (through chile) in a food processor; process until well blended. With processor on, slowly pour oil through food chute; process until well blended. Place pesto in a large bowl; stir in vinegar and black pepper.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat chicken with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken, pasta, and tomatoes to pesto; toss to combine.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Information
Calories: 336.7
Fat: 15.4g
Cholesterol: 56.5 mg
Sodium: 725.3 mg
Total Carbs: 21.4g
Fiber: 3.8g
Protein: 29.0g

No comments: