If you thought eating gluten/dairy free was boring, think again! This is one of my go to chicken recipes that packs so much flavor and uses only a few ingredients. I decided to pair it with a new take on a vegan pesto pasta dish.
I’ve been wanting to test out these noodles made from hearts of palm that I found at Whole Foods as I’m always looking for new innovative ways to recreate hearty dishes without the hearty amount of carbs. Not because carbs are “bad,” but because generally a lot of gluten free pasta noodles are made from overly processed rice or other gluten free grains that also contain other ingredients that just don’t make me feel great.
Personally, I think this was a winner of a recipe (which is why I want to share it with you) and can’t wait to recreate more pasta dishes using these noodles! Continue reading for a delicious creamy pesto pasta that you won’t feel guilty for indulging in after.
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Ingredients:
4 thinly sliced chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegan butter, linked here
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic reduction, linked here
olive oil to coat pan
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
sea salt & pepper to taste
Vegan Pesto Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, linked here
pinch sea salt & pepper
Pesto Pasta Ingredients:
12 oz hearts of palm linguine, linked here
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese, linked here
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
sea salt & pepper to taste
Step 1
Make the pesto first – place the basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Pulse to combine, until the mixture is coarsely ground. With the motor on, drizzle in the olive oil in a thin stream. Add the sea salt, pepper, balsamic, lemon, and nutritional yeast, and pulse a few more times to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste. Set aside.
Step 2
Drain and rinse the hearts of palm linguine using warm water, set aside in strainer to let the excess water drain out. Meanwhile, on medium heat, coat a pan with olive oil to cook the chicken. Once the pan is hot, add in the vegan butter and garlic. Place chicken in pan and season with oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt & pepper – flip chicken and season with the same seasonings.
Step 3
Once the chicken begins to brown, roughly 3 minutes on each side, on medium heat pour in the balsamic vinegar. Cook for roughly 5 more minutes, until there is no pink in the center, and drizzle balsamic reduction on top. Set aside to rest off heat while you prepare the pasta.
Step 4
On medium to low heat, melt the vegan butter and add in the chopped onion and garlic. Turn heat to medium and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add in the prepared pesto, vegan cream cheese and almond milk. Stirring to combine and melt the cream cheese. Then add in the drained linguine, seasoning it with garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt & pepper (you can adjust seasoning as needed). Cook this combination for 5-7 minutes, until the linguine has softened up a little bit.
Step 5
Add the spinach leaves in last to avoid overcooking them. Stir to combine into the pasta, and once they have softened (this will happen very quick), you’re done! Place a bed of noodles on your plate, top with prepared chicken & enjoy 🙂
Living Intuitively 