Bucatini With Olive Pesto
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 8 ounces uncooked bucatini (or pasta of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped green olives
- ½ cup black olives
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup reserved pasta-boiling water
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
Instructions
- Stir together 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 1 clove of minced garlic in a bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Put the garlic and olives in a food processor and pulse until it becomes a very finely-chopped, pesto-like paste.
- Heat the 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium in heat a skillet. When the oil starts to shimmer, transfer the olive and garlic mixture to the pan and cook it for a minute or so, until the garlic turns fragrant.
- Scrape the olive mixture out of the skillet and set it aside. Return the skillet to the heat, crank the heat up to medium-high and cook the chicken about 4 minutes per side until it's nicely browned and no longer pink in the middle. You'll know the chicken is done when a thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 °F.
- Set the chicken aside to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into bite-size pieces.
- Drain the pasta and combine it with the olive mixture (you might need to use a little bit of extra water leftover from boiling the pasta to loosen up the sauce.) Arrange the chicken on top.