Recipe by Chef Michele Ragussis

Healthy Chicken Pesto With 9 Calorie Angel Hair Pasta

Cook Time:

20 minutes

Serves:

4-6

Gluten Free

Keto

Low Carb

Healthy Chicken Pesto With 9 Calorie Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients

  • Angel Hair | It's Skinny
  • 2 packages It’s Skinny Pasta, Angel Hair variety
  • 1 pound chicken cut into strips
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/8 tsp Salt and pepper

Healthy, Low-Carb Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ready for something delicious, fresh, and oh-so-green? (And we're not talking about a salad here.)

If the color green were a flavor, it would undoubtedly be pesto! Bright, herbaceous, and so satisfying, pesto is like taking a sunshine-filled Mediterranean vacation (even if you’re stuck at home on a rainy Tuesday night). But we all know pesto is a HIGH-calorie dish, right? Something just for special occasions? Well, not with It’s Skinny Pasta—at only 9 calories a bag.

Ditch the dreary and try something bright and yummy with this restaurant-worthy healthy chicken pesto recipe, made with It’s Skinny Angel Hair Pasta.

Mom’s Italian Sunday Dinner, Your Way: Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken Pesto

Nothing evokes Italian food vibes quite like basil. It’s got a slightly sweet taste, herbal, and clean. It smells fantastic—just a whiff of basil can instantly transport you to your favorite mouth-watering food memory. It's also a key ingredient in pizza, Caprese salad, and everyone's favorite dinner—PASTA!

On a weeknight, heavy, high-carb pasta feels like a BIG effort. Boiling, salting the water, straining, coming up with a plan for sauce, not to mention the sluggish carb-coma it will induce after. Looking for pasta that won’t weigh you down? Welcome to the 9-calorie answer to your pasta cravings! It’s Skinny Pasta is delicious and ready in two minutes flat.

For this healthy chicken pesto recipe, you’re going to DIY the sauce. That’s right—homemade, mom-style pesto that’s super easy and so freaking good. You’ll want to use fresh basil in this recipe, but other than that, the ingredients are simple (and probably already in your kitchen).

We added chicken to maximize the healthy protein here. If you’re in a hurry, defrost some frozen pre-cooked chicken strips or swap in pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the deli. Try the dish with sauteed shrimp, if you prefer. Going meatless? For a vegetarian version, you could also try this recipe with plant-based mock chicken (It’s Skinny Pasta is plant-based and vegan-friendly)!

Pine nuts or walnuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon, and heavy cream give this low-carb recipe tons of flavor and make it taste like an expensive restaurant dish. Look for Parmesan wedges and grate your own (rather than that tasteless stuff in the green can). It’s worth the extra effort, especially because the rest of this dish takes literally no effort at all.

What’s the Deal with 9-Calorie Angel Hair Pasta? Is It Good?

It's Skinny Pasta is SO good that people are raving! You can order It’s Skinny on Amazon, making it super convenient. With four different varieties—spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair, and rice (!!!)—you can enjoy It's Skinny every night of the week without getting bored.

Oh, and when we say 9-calories, that's for the WHOLE bag. Unlike some other low-calorie pasta, It's Skinny is really delicious and the perfect substitute for traditional pasta options. What’s better, it takes on the sauce's flavor, so every delicious bite highlights the tastes in your recipe. For this healthy chicken pesto recipe, It’s Skinny provides the perfect pasta answer. Carb cravings conquered!

To make It's Skinny, you just open the bag, drain, and heat. It's that easy. We suggest cooking the chicken in the skillet, then adding in your pesto and cream. Once everything is cooking, just toss in the It's Skinny Angel Hair and stir it up to heat. Top with lemon zest, salt, pepper, and a bit more cheese (of course), and you're ready to go.

What’s It’s Skinny Pasta Made Out Of?

It’s Skinny is made out of Konjac. This might sound like a new ingredient, but it's been used in Southeast Asia for centuries. It's a root vegetable, similar to a yam, that just happens to make really great healthy pasta.

The fiber in Konjac is water-soluble, so it's very filling but very low in calories and carbs. You don't have to worry about this pasta weighing you down, making it the perfect dish to enjoy before a workout, a night out, or any time a pasta craving takes over.

It’s Skinny is simple and delicious. It’s easy to work with and tastes fantastic with practically any sauce. (Attention sauce stans, you’ve found your perfect noodle!) The totally amazing part is that you don't need to worry about going light on the sauce and toppings. Load up your ramen, pile on the marinara, and pour on the alfredo. You don't need to stress with It's Skinny because your dish is based on ultra-low-calorie pasta—no guilt!

As far as other pasta and rice-swaps, It's Skinny blows them away. The rice-shaped pasta variety is way better than "riced" veggies, and zoodles can't even hold a candle to It’s Skinny Pasta. It’s Skinny is delicious, healthy, and even better—only 9 calories for an entire bag!

Healthy Chicken Pesto Recipe with It’s Skinny Angel Hair Pasta

Ready to get cookin’, good lookin’? Here’s the recipe for your new favorite healthy chicken pesto with It’s Skinny Angel Hair Pasta!

Note: This recipe makes enough for four people—enjoy your leftovers or make it for your next dinner party. Your friends won’t believe that you made this dish with 9-calorie pasta!

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Amount Daily Value, %
Calories 530  
Fat 42.6 g 55
Saturated Fat 10.6 g 53
Cholesterol 111.1 mg 37
Sodium 342.6 mg 15
Carbs 6 g 2
Fiber 2.3 g 8
Sugar 1.1 g
Protein 30.8 g 62

Instructions

  1. Add basil, garlic, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and nuts in a blender. Blend until bright green and almost smooth, then set aside.
  2. In a skillet, add a tablespoon of oil and brown chicken. When browned, add the pesto, stock, and heavy cream. Mix well and cook for approximately 5 minutes on medium heat.
  3. Add the It’s Skinny Angel Hair Pasta and toss well.
  4. Top with lemon zest and serve. Of course, more cheese is always welcome.

Product used in this recipe

Angel Hair

Made with Konjac, a few other simple ingredients, and nothing else.

Shop now

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