Chicken Pesto Pasta (Lean Bulk)
780 calorie pasta that doesn't taste like a bulk-cycle compromise. Grilled chicken, real basil pesto, charred tomatoes, parmesan. Italian dinner energy.
You need
- 1 pot for pasta
- 1 nonstick or grill pan
- 1 small pan for tomatoes
- 1 sharp knife
Ingredients
For 1 serving
- 200 g (7 oz) chicken breast
- 100 g dry (3.5 oz) penne pasta
- 3 tbsp basil pesto (jarred or homemade)
- 150 g (1 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 20 g (0.75 oz) parmesan, shaved
- 10 g (1 tbsp) pine nuts
- 1 tsp olive oil
- few fresh basil leaves (optional)
- to taste salt + black pepper
How to cook
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne to package instructions, reserve a mug of pasta water before draining.
While the pasta cooks: pat the chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper.
If the breast is thick, butterfly or pound to even thickness. Even thickness equals even cooking.
Heat the grill pan over medium-high. Add a teaspoon of oil. Sear the chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side until the internal hits 74°C / 165°F.
Rest the chicken on a board for 5 minutes. Then slice on the bias.
Slicing immediately means juice on the cutting board. Rest is non-negotiable.
Same time: heat the small pan over medium-high, dry-toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes until golden. Set aside.
Same pan: blister the cherry tomatoes for 3 to 4 minutes until they burst.
Toss the drained pasta with the pesto and a splash of pasta water until glossy.
Plate: pasta, sliced chicken fanned over, blistered tomatoes, parmesan, pine nuts, basil leaves. Black pepper. Eat hot.
Why it fits a build muscle goal
- 52 g protein in one serving. The chicken does the heavy lifting, parmesan tops it off.
- 780 kcal lean-bulk dinner that doesn't taste like a chore. Pesto fat is olive oil + nuts, clean energy.
- Pine nuts are the calorie-density move. 10 g adds 65 kcal and 6 g of fat without bulking up the plate.
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