I cooked up some curly pasta. Usually I use gemelli, my favorite, but I was out and so was the market. I used rotini, but you can use anything that has a crevice that will cause the pesto to cling. I stirred in a spoonful or two of the pesto into the sauce, added in the pasta. Taste and adjust to your taste.
Awhile back I made Lemon, Parsley, Pesto, and Pasta. It was/is one of my favorite things I made. I said then and I still feel that it tastes like something you would get in an upscale restaurant. I thought the merging of the two recipes would work. What a pleasant surprise. It is a totally different meal and I promise this will be the best leftover you will ever eat.
So I hope I have not overdosed you with chicken, but if you are wanting a good chicken recipe, or find yourself with extra chicken this is such a good recipe cooked from scratch or a way to revive your leftovers.
I hope you enjoy.
- Pesto
- 2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest, plus more for garnish
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound short, twisted pasta, such as gemilli
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- See my links for French Tarragon Chicken and Lemon, Parsley, and Parmesan Plus Pasta.
I am taking this to
You did a magnificent job with the left-overs. I would have never guessed that it came from your French tarragon chicken dish.
Sam
Thanks for stopping by Sam.
Creative ways with leftovers is something we all appreciate. You have hit a home run with this one Madonna.
Thanks Penny. I was not sure how everyone would take to this post.
Just think of it as a do ahead dish and not leftover chicken! I love chicken and pasta dishes, this looks very divine!
That is a clever idea Jenna.
You could never chase us away and I can never have too many chicken recipes. 🙂
Thanks so much Karen. I had a few raised eyebrows here, but it really is a worthy save. Thanks for stopping by.
your chicken pesto pasta looks delish! Something about pesto makes my mouth water! I will have to test your recipe!
Fresh herbs (pesto) just makes everything taste better. I am so glad you stopped by.
M.
My daughter always orders a very similar dish in a resto in Mtl:-)
Such charming wording with the chasing away..no way:-)
Thanks Monique. I love hearing from you.
I use leftovers in the same way — make a new dish out of them. And there’s no way to overdose on chicken — it’s good stuff. As is this recipe — thanks.
Thanks John for the positive words. When I posted I was not sure if I would be boo’d out of blogland.
Madonna
Hi Madonna,
You know how much I loved your French Tarragon Chicken! With my leftovers, I made a stir fry with broccoli and rice and some garlic chili paste. I’ll try you version next time!
That sounds good too Kitty. I usually ignore stir fry since it usually calls for soy sauce, but your version sounds delish.
Oh a double helping for me please! I have extra chicken in my fridge right now.
I hope you are enjoying the summer.
Laura do let me know if you try it – at least while you are still feeling French from your lovely vacation.
Looks scrumptious! This is a keeper!
Thanks so much Michael. If you make it I hope you enjoy.
I’ll take leftovers at your house any day. This looks wonderful and very creative. I love the color. It would match so nice in my kitchen 🙂
Fresh herbs makes everything taste better. Thanks for stopping by.
M.
G’day! Thanks for sharing via our #SayGdayParty! Pinned!
Please make sure to come back, leaving comments on some people who also attended the party and of course we hope you are following us on Pinterest!
Cheers! Joanne
Looks absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
I too like tweaking leftovers. This looks delicious! I love pesto so I’m sure it would get a 10 from me! Thanks for sharing it with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Thanks Jann.
This looks delicious and perfect for summer!
Thanks so much Sherry. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised.
Madonna
I think it’s a great idea. I love pesto and you know what? I have some leftover chicken from the recipe I did yesterday, so tonight might be a pesto pasta and chicken dinner!
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for visiting Magali.
M.