Basil Pesto and Goat Cheese “Pasta” with Grilled Chicken and Roasted Tomatoes

I absolutely adore basil. This is no secret. Luckily, my sous chef is right there in the same boat as I am. So yesterday, I was craving pesto (this happens more often than not) and I had a hankering to make a pesto-type pasta, with my handy-dandy spiralizer, of course. This is far from what I originally had planned to make yesterday, and my so very accommodating sous chef offered to go to the store to pick up what we needed for this recipe (I have a sneaking suspicion it’s because I mentioned pesto and he is equally as much a basil fanatic). To corroborate my suspicion, I asked him to grab about the equivalent of two cups of basil, and he came home with six very large bushels – and subsequently took on the task of making the pesto and using all six bushels. Now, I’m no special investigator, but I’m pretty sure he wanted pesto.

Well, after sharing that life story with you, I actually want to tell you how gosh darn delicious this was. Yes, I’m going to tell you exactly what you thought: it was gosh darn delicious. But seriously. The basil pesto, as you suspected, was amazing. But aside from that, the tomatoes and goat cheese were a perfect touch. The goat cheese gave the dish a great zing, while the roasted tomatoes were a beautiful contrast and added a touch of brightness. And the zucchini noodles? It’s actually incredible how the zucchini noodles mimic the traits of actual spaghetti – just with a bit more crunch. Seriously delicious. As my sous chef said to me last night “yeah, you can make this again”. Yes, that’s his way of saying this is mighty yummy. And, if by chance you’re a vegetarian, skip the meat and you’re good to go. Well, enough already – let’s dig in.

Basil Pesto and Goat Cheese “Pasta” with Grilled Chicken and Roasted Tomatoes:

(Serving size: 3. It might seem like a lot of zucchini, but it cooks down, a lot.)

• 2 chicken breasts, cleaned and sliced in half lengthwise
• 1-2 tablespoons Montreal Chicken Seasoning
• 3 large zucchini or 4 medium zucchini
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 container of sweet cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups packed basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cut walnuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 oz. fresh goat cheese

Alright friends, let’s fire up the grill to about 400 degrees. Additionally, let’s turn on our broiler for the tomatoes. In the meantime, begin by spiralizing the zucchini. Now, I always add the caveat that you can use a potato peeler to make ribbons (similar to pappardelle pasta) if you don’t have a spiralizer. Or, alternatively, feel free to make pasta instead.

Then, let’s clean our chicken and slice them in half lengthwise. Season with the Montreal Chicken seasoning.

Once the grill has preheated, throw the chicken on and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

Once finished, take off heat and cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

Next, on a baking sheet lined with foil, add your sweet cherry tomatoes and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and let cook until the tomatoes burst and begin to char – about 7 minutes.

Remove from oven and set aside.

Now, we are going to make the gorgeous basil pesto. In a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, walnuts, teaspoon of both salt and pepper and garlic.

Once you begin to puree the ingredients, slowly drizzle the 1/2 cup of olive oil into the food processor through the opening in the top to emulsify the pesto.

Once smooth, add the parmesan cheese and pulse again until just combined.

Okay, in a large saute pan add remaining two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.

Then, add your spiralized zucchini.

Next, add 3 ounces of goat cheese and your basil pesto.

The zucchini will cook down and release water, helping you to incorporate the pesto (the cheese will just simply melt). Once incorporated, add your chicken pieces.

Using tongs (I find this easiest), plate the noodles. Crumble remaining goat cheese on top and add your tomatoes.

Now enjoy, because this is so, so good. And the perfect wine to top of this delicious dish? The 2011 Fransiscan Napa Valey Sauvignon Blanc. Very fruit forward with notes of lemon zest and a hint of vanilla. Crisp and balanced, perfect to complement this delicate recipe while not overpowering.

With, that, drink up, er, eat up – well, both!

Cheers!