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, it’s pasta night for the win with pesto-coated gemelli and pan-seared chicken breasts. The next day, the rest of the meat is used to make a wrap with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil that’ll fit perfectly in your lunchbox.
The Lunch Chicken Caprese Wrap information is as follows: Calories: 620, Fat: 25 g, Saturated Fat: 12 g, Carbohydrate: 41 g, Sugar: 2 g, Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 48 g, Cholesterol: 160 mg, Sodium: 930 mg. The nutrition facts panel below represents the nutrient values for the Chicken Pesto Pasta Dinner
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
24 ounce
Chicken Breasts
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
6 ounce
Gemelli Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
½ ounce
Basil
4 ounce
Fresh Mozzarella
(Contains Milk)
2 unit
Roma Tomato
5 teaspoon
Red Wine Vinegar
2 ounce
Pesto
(Contains Milk)
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
2 unit
Flour Tortillas
(Contains Soy, Wheat)
2 teaspoon
Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon
Sugar
4 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Wash and dry all produce. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season all over with salt, pepper, and 2 tsp Tuscan heat spice (save the rest for step 4). Add to pan and cook until no longer pink in center, 5-8 minutes per side. (TIP: Lower heat to medium if surface starts to blacken before meat is cooked through.) Remove from pan and set aside to rest.
Once water boils, add gemelli to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 10-12 minutes. While gemelli cooks, pick half the basil from stems (leave the remainder on the stem and save for lunch). Roughly chop picked leaves or tear into smaller pieces with your hands. Once gemelli is done, scoop out and reserve ¼ cup pasta cooking water, then drain. TIP: Don’t put away the pot just yet; we’ll use it later.
Cut mozzarella and tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Place half the tomatoes and all of the mozzarella in a reusable container. Add 2 tsp vinegar and 2 tsp pesto (we’ll use more vinegar and pesto later). Once chicken is cool enough to touch, cut half (2 breasts) into bite-sized pieces. Add cut chicken to container, toss to combine, and keep refrigerated until you’re ready to prep lunch in the morning.
Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for chicken over medium heat. Add 1 tsp sugar and remaining tomato, Tuscan heat spice, and vinegar to pan. Cook until vinegar and any juices have thickened slightly, 1-2 minutes. Stir in stock concentrate and 3 TBSP water. Bring to a simmer, then remove pan from heat. Stir in 2 TBSP butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Return drained gemelli to pot and place over low heat, then stir in 2 TBSP butter, remaining pesto, and a splash of reserved pasta cooking water. (TIP: If pasta seems dry, add more water as needed.) Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Divide remaining chicken breasts between plates and spoon tomato sauce over top. Add pasta to the side and sprinkle with Parmesan. Garnish with chopped basil and serve.
The next morning, pick remaining basil leaves from stems. Tear leaves into smaller pieces and toss into reserved chicken salad in container. Fill tortillas with chicken salad, roll into wraps, pack, and refrigerate before enjoying cold or at room temperature. TIP: If you've got a little while before you eat, divide the chicken salad between two containers, pack each with a tortilla, and wrap before enjoying (the wrap may not hold together if left for too long).