One pot pesto chicken pasta

1. Cut the chicken thighs into chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan with a lid, over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 2 - 3 minutes on each side. It doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through at this stage. Remove the chicken and set aside.
3. Add another drizzle of olive oil and add the garlic to the same pan. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, moving frequently to ensure it doesn’t burn. Next add the mushrooms. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the chicken back into the pan with any resting juices, along with the pasta and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes until the liquid is almost entirely absorbed and the pasta is al-dente. Add a splash of boiling water if more liquid is needed.
5. Finally add the Pam’s Creamy Pesto Pasta Sauce and the spinach and stir to combine. Cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes until the sauce is heated and the spinach is just wilted.
6. Serve with parmesan and a freshly cracked black pepper.

Top tips:

1. Browning the chicken before baking with the pasta gives more flavour and seals in the moisture from the meat.
2. You can use chicken breast for a lower calorie option, the texture will be slightly drier but the stock and sauce will add moisture to it too.
3. Pasta spirals are used as the sauce and spinach will coat well in the ridges of the pasta. Other pasta types such as rigatoni or penne also will hold the sauce but not as much as the spiral shape.
4. You can substitute this with gluten-free pasta—note the cooking time will be slightly shorter as gluten-free pasta absorbs moisture faster than wheat-based pasta.
5. You can substitute fresh spinach for frozen, by thawing the spinach beforehand and mixing it through. Note the bake will be slightly wetter if using frozen spinach.
6. Serve this cold as a pasta salad, adding rocket or salad greens instead of spinach (or in addition to) the next day.
7. This can be stored in an airtight container and consumed within 3-5 days. Add a small amount of water to loosen before reheating to over 75°C (or piping hot) if eating hot.
8. This particular pesto contains dairy, but you can substitute with dairy-free pesto alternative, along with a dairy-free cheese for a no dairy option.
9. Add toasted nuts such as almonds, cashews and/or pine nuts for extra crunch on top when serving.
10. Adding a splash of good quality extra virgin olive oil to the pasta before serving gives it a richer flavour.