If I told you that Pesto Chicken with Roasted Tomato & Pine Nut Zucchini Noodle Bowls could be on the table in 20 minutes, would you believe me?
I hope you answered yes. Because if you did, you’d be right! And it’s nice to be right every now and again. Am I right? Yes again! We’re two for two!
So let me tell you about this dish that holds a special place in my heart…
I was chattin’ with my daughter Chels, a night or two after we returned home from visiting her in LA, catching up on everything she was doing in the hours since we left her. 🙁 And of course our conversation turned to food. (Is anybody shocked by this? I didn’t think so!) We got to talking about what she had for dinner (without us), and she said that she and her roommate, Kelsey, had stayed in and prepared a recipe of Kelsey’s the night after we left. She raved about it(!) so of course I needed the deets. She happily obliged! Before I knew it, I received a text containing the components for this dish. As soon as I read it, I knew I’d be making and sharing it with you guys as soon as I could!
I gathered all of the ingredients, which included a rotisserie chicken, and got to work preparing a meal that gets high grades for both flavor and ease. Basil pesto, juicy chicken, roasted tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, zucchini noodles, Parmesan… Does it get any better?
In my grocery travels I stumbled upon some gorgeous Campari tomatoes, also know as tomatoes on the vine.
With its:
- deep red color
- low acidity
- supreme juiciness
- perfect texture
…it’s a tomato I can get behind. And boy was it a perfect addition to this medley of fresh flavors.
Whether eaten straight off the vine or roasted and added to your favorite dishes – these ruby baubles, slightly larger than cherry tomatoes, are a thing of beauty.
As I said, I used a rotisserie chicken because, well, sometimes that’s all we have time for. But if time is on your side – there’s nothing better than a roasted chicken made from the comforts of home. And feel free to use your favorite store bought pesto if the thought of pulling out the food processor or mortar and pestle is just too much for a Thursday night. Who hasn’t been there?
And zucchini noodles? Yep, feel free to use your spiralizer – which takes minutes, or, if your grocer sells them spiralized and ready to sauté…you know where I’m headed with this.
This is a dish that can take as little as 20 minutes to prepare…healthy, tasty and quick! It’s the kind of meal that my California girl and her two sweet roommates prepare a lot. These ladies know the deal where flavor is concerned!
Thanks for the inspiration Chelsea, Kelsey and Lindsey! <3
Buon Appetito!
And don’t forget to check out Ciao Chow Bambina on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook! Mangia!!
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Pesto Chicken with Roasted Tomato & Pine Nut Zucchini Noodle Bowls
- Category: Dinner
Description
If I told you that Pesto Chicken with Roasted Tomato & Pine Nut Zucchini Noodle Bowls could be on the table in 20 minutes, would you believe me?
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Campari tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- 2 lbs. zucchini noodles
- 6 Tbsp. basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- 2 lb. rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
- Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- On a sheet pan place the tomatoes, drizzle with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
- Add the zucchini noodles (may have to cook in two batches), red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Cook for 4 minutes, until heated through.
- Remove from heat and place zucchini noodles, shredded chicken, pesto and pine nuts in a large mixing bowl and combine.
- Add tomatoes and Parmesan before serving.
- Enjoy!
CIAO!
Yummy momma. I love me some pesto. I am going to share this with my sisters as we were just discussing what to make with zuchini spirals on our girls weekend. Love the pictures too!
I saw your sister weekend photos…loved them! You all look so much alike!! This is a nice dish! My daughter and her pals know the deal! Thanks, Cindy!!
I love how healthy this is dish is!
Thank you, Pamela!!
What a great zoodle dish, Annie!! I haven’t used my spiralizer in a while and you inspired me to make this recipe! My boys don’t like zucchini but if I peel it and call it ‘green pasta’ I think they might give it a try. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
I can’t imagine they’d resist ‘green pasta’! I wouldn’t have as a kid! So happy you like it! Thank you, my friend!
Not only tasty but pretty as well. You will have to thank your daughter and roomie for sharing the recipe so that you could share it with us. 🙂
I will absolutely thank them for you! Thank you, Karen!!
I get excited about anything covered in pesto! I’m loving these zucchini noodle bowls a whole lot – must make for dinner soon!!
I do too! Pesto is the best!! Thanks, friend! Enjoy!
I love zucchini noodles and this one here makes me drool, Annie. Love the fact this beauty is ready in just 20 minutes. Absolutely loving gorgeous color and awesome flavors. And thanks for this info that Campari = tomatoes on the vine. 😀
Can’t beat a delicious 20 minute meal! Thanks, Anu!!
Oh I love how vibrant this dish looks with those gorgeous bursts of red tomatoes. It is like a bowl of happy! i think it is so cool you and your daughter can converse about food like this. Jealous – my mum hates cooking and gets stuck on annoying food trends and won’t venture outside of said trend which just leads to plenty of arguments. Will have to make this for her one night this week! Gorgeous recipe!!
Oh no! If you make this for her I hope she loves it! This is a bowl of happy – it’s gotta work! 😉 Thanks, friend! 🙂
Zucchini noodles are a favorite of mine, and I’m loving that you added in some chicken and made this ready in just 20 minutes! My kind of meal, especially for busy weeknights!
The pesto chicken adds so much flavor! Thanks, Gayle!
My son and I share recipes like that LOL! I honestly didn’t know that tomatoes on the vine were Campari tomatoes! I love them and that must be why. This recipe reminds me a lot of the dishes we enjoyed in Italy. Simple, clean, delicious ingredients.
Ahh! When were you in Italy? I’d love to know more about that! Isn’t it great to share recipes with our peeps? Thank you, Julie!
That’s the first thing I say — I need that recipe. I love easy. I love delicious. I love anything that will save me time. And I firmly believe in the grocery rotisserie chicken. You get a whole cooked chicken for about the same price as a raw one. YUM!! I’m pinning and your photos have my vote of 10 drools. 🙂
Sometimes there’s nothin’ better than a rotisserie chicken, am I right?! So happy you like the recipe, my friend! Thanks for the pin! 🙂
I need to get on the spiralizer train! I might be the only food blogger without one. I’m drooling over this gorgeous bowl! How fun to get recipe inspiration from your daughter. I hope you guys enjoyed your time together!
I’ll stop the train and wait for you to board! You must – spiralizers are fun and reap such awesome rewards! We had a great time! It’s so hard to leave! But now we get to look forward to the next! Thanks, my friend!
Twenty minutes to get that gorgeousness on the table? It looks amazing–I love all the colors! And pine nuts. . .YUM!
Yep, the buttery little crunchy pine nuts really add so much! 20 minutes to perfection! Thanks, friend! 🙂
I totally believe you that this amazing dish can be ready in 20 minutes or less, because zoodles are magical. 🙂 Bowls exactly like this one are pretty much what I live off of during the spring and summer months, because so easy and SOOOOOO delicious! I’m a huge fan of Campari tomatoes too! They make the BEST snack with some sea salt. Nommmsss. I will most DEFINITELY be taking 20 minutes out of my day to whip this beautiful bowl up for lunch or dinner! Pinned! Cheers, dear! xo
That’s it , that’s all they need…a little sea salt and we’re good to go! Campari’s are delicious! This is a dish that will be very popular around here starting now! Thanks, friend! xo
You know I am obsessed with zucchini noodles. I can’t believe how good they are in dishes like this. Your tomatoes are gorgeous and it makes me anxious for Spring! Perfect weeknight dish. xo
Everything is making me excited for spring! I don’t want to wait any longer! I thought you might like this one! Thanks, dear! xo
I love everything about this dish! And my daughter and I converse around food on a regular basis too 🙂 She’s vegetarian, so she would flip over this tasty dish. Sending it on to her, too 🙂
That’s the best, isn’t it?! Thank you for sharing it with your daughter! I’ll let my girl know! 🙂
I sure dindn’t eat this well when in college:) Definitely nothing that looked so pretty. Sounds like your daughter has found some very special roommates! So grateful for zucchini noodles – used to be my preferred way to sneak in some veggies in my son’s meals until recently:)
She was a very lucky lady! These girls are great together! Actually, they’re all college graduates ‘adulting’ in LA! Zucchini noodles are the best! I really like them sautéed with a pinch of red pepper! Thank you, my friend!
What a great dish from the girls Annie! I love each and every ingredient, with the Campari tomatoes at the tippy top! They’re always so deep red and juicy! I think I may opt for the already spiralized zucchini noodles and the ready made rotisserie chicken from the market too! So easy!
You know – the world is making it so easy for us to have a healthy dinner, in no time! How great is that?! Thanks, friend!
Your daughter and her friends sure know how to put together a delicious meal, Annie! I would have wanted the recipe too! I didn’t know that Campari meant ‘tomatoes on the vine.’ Good to keep in mind next time I want to throw out a little factoid when we get together with friends 😉 You know I’m a new found fan of zucchini noodles with my new spiralizer; they are just too fun to eat and this whole dish just looks so fresh and is so healthy! I often use rotisserie chicken and it definitely makes dinner come together quickly, especially busy weeknights. Pinning this one. Thank you (and your daughter and her roommates) for sharing this one. It looks FABULOUS. P.S. that pic above with the close up of the tomato is spot on perfection, my friend. Have a wonderful weekend! XOXO
Yep, Campari’s are ‘the’ tomatoes we see most often ‘on the vine’. Gosh, they’re good! My daughter and her roomies cook a fair amount together and it was the first time she said, “Ma, this is blog worthy!” I couldn’t resist! And she was right! So happy you like it, my friend! And thanks for your kind words!! You’re too much! XOXO