Pesto with Roasted Chicken & Angel Hair Pasta

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper (try to get some underneath the skin as well, without completely tearing the skin off). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Step 2: While the chicken is cooking, make your pesto. First start off by toasting the pine nuts. Take a large frying pan and place it over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, toast for 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn them.

Step 3: In a food processor, add the basil bunches (leaves & stems). Pulse a few times to chop them up, then add the garlic cloves. Pulse a few more times, then add half of the cooled pine nuts. Pulse until well chopped.

Step 4: Season the pesto with salt and pepper. With the machine running, add the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Mix, then add the parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Step 5: Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water, according to the package (angel hair pasta does not take very long to cook). Add the cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add the pesto and mix well.

Step 6: Discard the skins from the chicken breasts. Shred the meat with 2 forks or however you prefer to cut chicken. Add chicken to the pasta and mix well. Add the remaining pine nuts, garnish with more Parmesan cheese.