Dinner with a friend- Artichoke Lemon Pesto Chicken Pasta

Mine and Billie's friend, Vashti, was stationed in Hawaii with Billie. She just moved to Arizona for an 8 week course. I couldn't wait to see her! She came over for dinner last night, and I made a new recipe. I ended up working til after 5, but luckily this recipe doesn't take long to put together. It saved a lot of time that I had bought and de-boned a rotisserie chicken the night before. So I added that already-cooked chicken to this recipe. Highly recommend that.

The hardest part was trying to cut the raw spaghetti squash down the middle to bake! The recipe was light and summery but so tasty. I love pesto. I will DEFINITELY make this again.

Copied straight from PaleOmg. <--- This site has so many great recipes!

Artichoke Lemon Pesto Chicken Pasta

Prep time:  35 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  55 mins

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or chicken thighs if you prefer)
• 1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise (get a BIG one)
• 12-15 artichoke hearts, cut in half (I used jarred artichokes that were in olive oil for more flavor)
• ⅓ cup walnuts
• 4-5 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-5 tablespoons vegetable broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup fresh parsley
• ½ cup fresh basil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-5 cups of spinach (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 405 degrees (not 450, stop questioning me)
2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until squash gives when you poke the outside of it.
3. Use a spoon to remove the excess seeds then a fork to thread the strings from the squash. To make spaghetti, duh.
4. But while the squash is baking, make the pesto and chicken.
5. Place a large pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of fat and 1 minced garlic clove. As soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the halved artichokes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook until slightly browned and tender on all sides.
6. Once artichokes are browned, add them to a food processor along with the walnuts, olive oil, vegetable broth, and second garlic clove. Puree until smooth.
7. Then add the parsley, basil, lemon, and salt and pepper. Puree once more until smooth. Taste and add more lemon and salt and pepper to your preference.
8. Once pesto is done pureeing, add the chicken to the same pan that you sautéed the artichokes in.
9. Cook chicken over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
10. Once chicken is cooked through, add in about ¼ of a cup of the pesto to the chicken along with the spinach, in the pan and mix well to coat. Cover and let cook for 2-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
11. Then add the threads of spaghetti squash to the pan (or a large mixing bowl if you need more room). Mix spaghetti squash, pesto, and chicken all together.
12. Serve with some fresh basil on top.