Pesto fettuccine with chicken & zucchini
Hot pan, cubed chicken, a hit of Italian seasoning. Four minutes to golden. Zucchini follows, just long enough to soften without going limp. While that handles itself, the fettuccine boils.
Everything meets in the pan. One tablespoon of pesto, stirred through raw and off the heat, coats every strand and every piece of chicken with that sharp basil bite. 34g protein, 648 kcal, 15 minutes. One pan, one pot, one bowl.
Hot pan, cubed chicken, a hit of Italian seasoning. Four minutes to golden. Zucchini follows, just long enough to soften without going limp. While that handles itself, the fettuccine boils.
Everything meets in the pan. One tablespoon of pesto, stirred through raw and off the heat, coats every strand and every piece of chicken with that sharp basil bite. 34g protein, 648 kcal, 15 minutes. One pan, one pot, one bowl.
Ingredients
- onion 0.25
- garlic 1 clove
- zucchini 1
- chicken breast 3 oz
- olive oil 1 tbsp
- Italian seasoning 2 tsp
- fettuccine 3 oz
- pesto 1 tbsp
Method
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Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Cut the zucchini and chicken breast into cubes.
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Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the chicken and Italian seasoning and cook for 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for another 4 minutes, until just tender.
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Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to the package directions.
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Drain the fettuccine and add it to the chicken mixture along with the pesto. Toss well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve the fettuccine in a deep bowl.
Cut the chicken breast into small cubes, roughly 2 cm. They need to sear and cook through in just four minutes alongside the Italian seasoning. Too large and the centers stay raw when the zucchini goes in.
Behind this recipe
Is 34g of protein from one chicken breast enough for a meal?
Research on per-meal protein utilization shows your body can use well beyond 30g in a single sitting. The old "30g limit" was based on early research that measured short windows. More recent dose-response and tracer studies found no hard ceiling. The 34g in this bowl, with chicken breast as the primary source, is well within the range your body processes efficiently.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I swap the fettuccine for a different pasta?
Any long pasta works. Spaghetti, linguine, or tagliatelle will all hold the pesto well. Shorter shapes like penne or fusilli work too but catch the pesto in their ridges rather than coating evenly. Stick to the same 84g dry weight to keep the macros matched.
Are 72g of carbs a problem if I'm trying to lose fat?
Meta-analytic evidence from 5,192 participants found no fat-loss advantage to low-carb diets when protein and calories are matched. The 72g here, mostly from the fettuccine, sits at roughly 35-45% of a typical cutting carb budget. If your daily target and calories are on track, the carb source does not determine the outcome.
Read the full evidence review
