Chicken Avocado Pasta (Date Night Edition)

over head shot of pasta served in heart shaped bowls with two hands and forks digging in

5 from 7 votes

Chicken Avocado Pasta (Date Night Edition)

This pasta is served in a creamy avocado sauce, loaded with roasted cherry tomatoes and topped with tender strips of chicken!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Date Night, Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £4 / $5

Equipment

Small Oven Tray (for roasted tomatoes)
Frying/Griddle Pan & Tongs (for chicken)
Large Pot & Colander (for pasta)
Food Processor (for avocado sauce)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Zip Lock Bag
Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

Creamy Avocado Pasta

7oz / 200g Linguine, or long-cut pasta of choice
1/4 cup/ 60ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large (or 2 small/medium) Avocado, ripe but not bruised
1 large handful / packed cup Fresh Basil Leaves
1 clove of Garlic
1/2 Lemon, juice only (or to taste)
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Grilled Chicken

1 large Chicken Breast
1/4 tsp each: Dried Oregano, Dried Thyme, Garlic Powder, Salt
drizzle of Olive Oil
squeeze of Lemon Juice
Black Pepper, to taste

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

1 cup / 200g Cherry Tomatoes
drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

To Serve

Parmesan
Fresh Basil
Garlic Bread
Side Salad (see notes)

Instructions

Roasted Tomatoes

In a small oven tray, combine cherry tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10-12mins at 200C/390F or until they just being to wrinkle. For a more intense flavour roast at a lower temp over a longer period of time (as low as 150c/300f for as long as 1hour+).

Chicken

Meanwhile, butterfly your chicken breast right through to make 2 even sized breasts. Combine in a zip lock bag with 1/4 tsp oregano, thyme, salt, a drizzle of oil, a squeeze of lemon juice & a pinch of black pepper and allow to marinate for as long as you have time for (up to 8 hours). If you're pushed for time just leave at room temp whilst you prep the other ingredients. If marinating take out fridge at least 15mins before needed.
Grill/fry over medium-high heat for a few mins each side, until white through the centre. Allow to rest to one side (important to retain juices) then just before serving, slice into strips, ensuring you slice against the grain and at an angle.

Avocado Pasta

Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Scoop out a cup of starchy pasta water just before draining.
In a food processor, combine avocado, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, garlic clove, lemon juice and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper (season well to bring out the best in this simple sauce). Add a dash more oil if it needs smoothing out.
In a large mixing bowl (or the frying pan if it's completely cooled down) combine pasta with avocado sauce and toss until the pasta is silky smooth and coated in the sauce. Add in your roasted tomatoes WITH the juices from the pan. If you need to, add a few splashes of the starchy pasta water to help create the sauce (discard water if not needed).

Combined

Serve pasta with sliced grilled chicken on top, a heavy sprinkling of parmesan, a side salad and some garlic bread. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Side Salad - Here I simply used Rocket/Arugula, Pine Nuts, Red Onion, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Seasoning. Also, check out my Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe!

b) Avocado - Ensure it's nice and ripe, if the avocado if underripe the sauce will taste bitter and it'll be difficult to blend.

c) Chicken -Really important to firstly make sure the chicken is close to room temp before frying (cold chicken will seize up and go chewy) but also important to let it rest before slicing. If you slice it right away it'll loose it's juiciness and go dry.

d) Calories based on no sides or toppings, just the chicken, pasta, sauce and tomatoes then shared between 2.

Nutrition