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Rocket pesto chicken recipe
First published: 2 June 2016
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This rocket pesto chicken recipe is a perfect post-workout meal.
Eating around your workouts doesn’t need to be a chore, and Lucozade has teamed up with chef Tom Aikens to think up some awesome pre- and post-workout meals, such as this rocket pesto chicken with piquillo peppers and pine nuts. This recipe is a delicious, vitamin- and protein-packed meal that’s ideal for repairing muscles after a tough workout.
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 peeled red onions cut in half and each half into 4
2 red peppers, sliced
25ml balsamic crema
25ml olive oil
20g brown sugar
1tsp of chopped thyme
1tsp of chopped rosemary
Large pinch salt
12 turns of milled black pepper
200g wholewheat pasta
4 Chicken breasts
For the rocket pesto:
100g rocket
50g pine nuts
100g grated Parmesan
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
15 turns of milled pepper
2g sea salt
200ml olive oil
2 Peeled sweet potato’s cut in half
1tbsp of olive oil
Large pinch of coarse salt
1tsp honey
For the assembly:
15g toasted crushed pine nuts
180g roast balsamic onions sliced
480g sliced cooked chicken
200g cooked hot pasta
15 ripped basil leaves
100g rocket
2tbsp of pesto
Large pinch of salt
Method
Set oven to 160°C.
Make the rocket pesto by placing all the ingredients into the blender and puree for 30 seconds and then place into a clean container and into the fridge.
Place half of this over the chicken to marinade for a day if possible, or a few hours is fine. Remove from the fridge an hour before cooking, cook these in an oven at 160°C, covered in tin foil, for 12-14 minutes, leave to cool a little, then slice the chicken breasts into strips across the breast.
Place half the olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs de Provence, thyme, rosemary, sugar, crema onto a tray lined with tinfoil, place on the onions in neat rows and add the rest of the ingredients. Bake in the oven at 160°C and roast in the oven till tender for around 15-20 minutes, basting the onions while cooking. Cut red peppers into strips and then roast these separately in the oven for 15 minutes. Once roasted, leave all this to cool.
Cook the pasta in 2.5L of boiling water with 12g salt added, cook till al dente at a simmer, once cooked, drain and toss in a little olive oil.
Set oven to 180°C and place the sweet potato into an oven dish. Add the olive oil, seasoning, honey, cook at 180°C for 20 minutes, turning over half through. Once cooked, leave to cool.
Combine all ingredients from the assembly ingredients list above.
Place the pasta into a big bowl when cooked, adding the roast onion, chicken, pine nuts, peppers, then the basil, add the pesto and seasoning and stir well then serve up.
Recipe courtesy of chef Tom Aikens for Lucozade