Cook it once, eat it twice: tonight’s dinner extras transform into tomorrow’s lunch. That’s thanks to special added ingredients that can easily be heated up, even at the office (your coworkers will be amazed, trust us). For the first meal in this 2-in-1 recipe, you’ve got chicken, green beans, and potatoes with a bit of balsamic and Parmesan for an Italian accent. The next day, it turns into a pesto pasta lunch that comes together with just a few stirs.
The nutrient information for the Chicken Pesto Pasta Lunch is as follows: Calories 730, Fat 25g, Saturated Fat 6g, Cholesterol 135 mg, Sodium 490 mg, Carbs 71 g, Fiber 4 g, Sugar 5 g, and Protein 50 g. The nutrition facts panel below represents the nutrient values for the Balsamic Chicken Dinner
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
1 unit
Roma Tomato
12 ounce
Yukon Gold Potatoes
24 ounce
Chicken Breasts
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
½ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
6 ounce
Green Beans
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
6 ounce
Gemelli Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
5 teaspoon
Balsamic Glaze
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
2 ounce
Pesto
(Contains Milk)
5 teaspoon
Olive Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Wash and dry all produce. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve and dice tomato. Halve potatoes, then cut into 1-inch pieces and toss on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven until just tender and a light golden color, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Season all over with salt, pepper, and Tuscan heat spice. Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat (use a nonstick pan if you have one). Add chicken and cook until browned on surface and no longer pink in center, 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Once potatoes have roasted 15 minutes, remove from oven. Toss on sheet with half the Parmesan and push toward one side of sheet. Place green beans on other side of sheet, toss with a drizzle olive oil, and season with salt and a pinch of chili flakes (use more if you like it spicy). Return to oven and roast until potatoes are very crisp and green beans are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Once water boils, add gemelli to pot. Cook until al dente, 10-12 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup pasta cooking water (save it for step 6), then drain gemelli and return to empty pot. Meanwhile, reduce heat under pan used for chicken to medium low and pour in balsamic glaze, stock concentrate, and ⅓ cup plain water. Simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 TBSP butter.
Add 2 chicken breasts to pan and flip to coat in sauce. Divide potatoes and green beans between plates. Place a sauce-coated chicken breast on each plate, then drizzle with remaining sauce in pan and serve (save the remaining ingredients for lunch).
When ready to prep lunch, add pesto and pasta cooking water to pot with gemelli and toss to coat. Stir in tomato. Season with salt and pepper. (TIP: Add chili flakes to taste for heat.) Divide mixture between two reusable containers. Slice remaining chicken and arrange on top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Keep refrigerated. Heat in a microwave on high for about 2 minutes before eating.