This turned out pretty tasty. Next time I will sacrifice the carbs elsewhere and have more zucchini spirals. I might also add a garnish of hard sharp cheese, like romano or asiago. And it would have benefited from adding just a tiny bit more water to the sauce to make coating the spirals a bit easier.
#Ingredients:
* 150g Chicken Breast
>46p, 0c, 6f, 248kcal
* 200g Zucchini
>2p, 4c, 0f, 30kcal
* 100g Broccolini
>4p, 1c, 0f, 35kcal
* 25g Sun-Dried Tomatoes
>1.7p, 2.5c, 10f, 117kcal
* 30g Pesto
>2.4p, 1.2c, 14.4f, 152kcal
* 1 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
>0.4p, 0.4c, 5.5f, 51kcal
**Totals: 633 Calories, 57 grams Protein (228kcal), 9.1 grams net Carbs (36.4kcal), 35.8 grams Fat(322.2kcals)**
by 109thbead
2 Comments
#Instructions
**Equipment:**
* Kitchen scale
* Bowl for weighing
* Veggie strainer for washing
* Cutting board
* Chefs knife
* 2 Medium baking trays
* Veggie spiralizer (or buy frozen)
* Medium plate
* 2 Spoons
* Fork
* Tablespoon for measuring
* Slow cooker or extra baking tray for chicken. Whichever is easier for you.
**Chicken**
I cooked the chicken breasts as a 5 pound bunch. I often use multiple methods at once. You can cook yours in whatever way you prefer, but here’s some quick steps for both the methods I used.
**Slow Cooker**
1.) Coat in oil, season to choice. I just used salt and pepper to make adding to different style meals easier.
2.) Place in slowcooker evenly leaving enough room, maybe a finger tip between. No more than two layers high, and haphazard placement seems to work best.
3.) Cook on low for approximately 3 hours for large batches. Less if you are only cooking a couple pieces. Internal temperature should be at least 165F but I usually do 170F. Too long and they will become dry tasting.
**Oven**
1.) Preheat oven to 450F
2.) Coat in oil, season to choice. Same story for me with just salt and pepper.
3.) Place on baking tray leaving fingertip space between pieces.
4.) Cook at 450F for 15-20 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on oven, number of pieces, and placement of racks. Cook to internal temperature of at least 165F, but I usually do 170F.
5.) Remove and turn off oven.
**Broccolini**
1.) Preheat oven to 450F
2.) Wash and cut broccolini. Weigh.
3.) Place on baking tray with limited to no overlap. Overlap makes them soggy. Mist with oil, or drizzle and rub to fully coat.
4.) Put into preheated oven at 450F for 20 minutes. Cooking times may vary, so keep an eye not to burn your broccolini tops.
**Zucchini Spirals**
(Skip steps 1 and maybe 2 if purchasing frozen zucchini spirals)
1.) Rinse zucchini and cut off one end. Spiralize on spaghetti setting. Weigh.
2.) Put weighed spirals into a towel or paper towel. I use a flour sack kitchen towel. They are handy for so much! Wrap tightly and squeeze to remove moisture. You want to get as much moisture out as possible without pulverizing them.
3.) Spread out on second baking tray as far apart from each other as possible. The closer they are to each other, the soggier they will be. I like mine to be not at all soggy.
4.) Place in oven at 450F for approximately 20 minutes. I like to get them as close to burned without burning as possible. Less time makes them more al dente, with a bit of a snap in them, like raw zucchini or cucumber.
5.) Remove spirals from oven and turn off oven.
**Handling Other Ingredients:**
1.) Weigh sun dried tomatoes and set aside.
2.) Weigh pesto. Add 1 Tbsp of cream and stir to combine. Adding water makes the sauce thinner without sacrificing taste. I only added a few drops but I’ll add more next time to help in evenly coating the spirals. Maybe up to a teaspoon of added water, but definitely add slowly and stir before adding more.
#Creamy Pesto Chicken Faux-Pasta
1.) Use a little of the creamy pesto mixture to coat the zucchini spirals and save the rest to top.
2.) Add broccolini and chicken breast, pouring the rest of the sauce on top.
3.) Garnish with sun dried tomatoes.
4.) Enjoy!
#Creamy Pesto Chicken Faux-Pasta Cost Breakdown
* Chicken
>$0.89
* Zucchini
>$0.66
* Broccolini
>$0.70
* Pesto
>$0.63
* Sun Dried Tomatoes
>$0.57
* Heavy Whipping Cream
>$0.16
**Total Cost: $3.61**