Pesto Parmesan Chicken and Pasta — When Making It from Scratch Finally Clicks

Hockey playoffs are in a month and the team is getting serious. Or as serious as a bunch of twentysomethings and fortysomethings in a rec league can get. We had a practice on Tuesday — actual practice, not just showing up and hitting each other — and the captain, a guy named Pete who's a firefighter and takes everything way too seriously, drew up plays on a whiteboard like we were in the NHL. I love it. I love that these guys care enough to draw up plays for a league where the trophy is a gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings. That kind of earnest, slightly delusional commitment to something that doesn't matter is one of my favorite things about sports. It doesn't matter, and we care anyway. There's something pure about that. Thursday's game was a banger. We won 4-2 and I had an assist — my first point of the season. I set up a goal with a pass from behind the net that I had no business making and somehow it worked. Kevin was in the stands and he texted me after: "Since when do you pass?" Fair question. At the brewery, the winter warmer is fermenting. I check it every morning like a new parent checking on a baby. Temperature: good. Gravity: dropping as expected. Color: a gorgeous deep amber. I know I'm not supposed to taste it until fermentation is done but I snuck a sample on Friday and it's... promising. The cinnamon is there but not overpowering. The malt backbone is exactly what I wanted. Marcus caught me sampling and just shook his head and smiled. I tried to make mac and cheese from scratch this week. Not the blue box — from scratch, with a roux and everything. A roux is butter and flour cooked together, then you add milk slowly to make a white sauce, then you melt cheese into it. I learned the word "béchamel" this week, which is the fanciest word I've ever said in my own kitchen. The roux was tricky — it kept getting lumpy. My first attempt was a disaster, all clumps and no cream. Second attempt, I whisked constantly and added the milk slower, and it came together into this smooth, velvety sauce that I poured over elbow noodles with sharp cheddar. Baked it with breadcrumbs on top. It was good. Like, really good. Better than the blue box? Different. Richer. More work. But worth it. Babcia's Sunday: żurek again, the sour rye soup. "It's soup weather," she said, as if she needed an excuse. She never needs an excuse.

Making that béchamel from scratch this week — roux and all — reminded me that the extra effort is almost always worth it when it comes to pasta and cheese. Since I’m apparently on a from-scratch pasta kick now, this Pesto Parmesan Chicken and Pasta felt like the natural next move: real parmesan, real pesto, no shortcuts. It’s got the same richness I was chasing with the mac and cheese, but it comes together faster, which means more time to check on the fermenter.

Pesto Parmesan Chicken and Pasta

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 12 oz penne or fettuccine pasta
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 1/3 cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain and set aside.
2. Season the chicken. Pat chicken strips dry and season generously with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
3. Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook 4–5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
4. Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic to the same skillet and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add cherry tomatoes and cook 2–3 minutes, pressing lightly to release their juices.
5. Combine everything. Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Stir in pesto and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, tossing to coat. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce to a silky consistency.
6. Finish with cheese. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan until melted and creamy. Slice the chicken and return it to the pan. Toss gently to combine.
7. Serve. Divide among bowls, top with extra Parmesan and fresh basil leaves, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 545 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 510mg