Garlicky Chicken & Cheesy Pesto Penne for Dinner
with Herby Chicken & Crouton Salad for Lunch
- Milk
- Cashew
- Wheat
- Gluten
- Soy
- Hazelnut
- Eggs
- Milk
- Soy
- Sulphites
- Lupin
- Sesame
- Almond
- May contain traces of allergens
Why settle for one delicious meal when you can have two? Dinner brings together bold pesto flair with tender chicken and al dente penne. Then, tomorrow’s lunch turns your leftover chicken into a garden salad, leveled up with crunchy croutons. Two meals, zero extra effort - now that’s what we like to call smart cooking.
Ingredients
1 packet
Baby Spinach Leaves
1 packet
Basil Pesto
(Contains: Milk, Cashew;)
330 g
Chicken Breast
½
Bake-At-Home Ciabatta
(Contains: Wheat, Gluten, Soy; May be present: Hazelnut, Eggs, Milk, Soy, Sulphites, Lupin, Sesame, Almond.)
½
Cucumber
1 sachet
Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 packet
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk;)
½ packet
Penne
(Contains: Wheat, Gluten; May be present: Soy.)
1 sachet
Vegetable Stock Pot
1 packet
Snacking Tomatoes
Not included in your delivery
1 drizzle
olive oil
20 g
butter
(Contains: Milk;)
1 drizzle
balsamic vinegar
Utensils
Cooking Steps
- Half-fill a large saucepan with water, add a generous pinch of salt, then bring to the boil over high heat.
- Cook penne in boiling water until ‘al dente’, 12 minutes.
- Reserve pasta water (1/3 cup for 1 person / 2/3 cup for 2 people). Drain penne, then return to saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Meanwhile, halve snacking tomatoes.
- Cut or tear bake-at-home ciabatta (see ingredients) into bite-sized chunks.
- Place your hand flat on top of chicken breast and slice through horizontally to make two thin steaks.
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken steaks, garlic & herb seasoning, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- In a large frying pan, heat a generous drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Cook ciabatta until golden and slightly crispy, 5-6 minutes. Season to taste. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Return pan to medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Cook chicken steaks until cooked through, 3-6 minutes each side (cook in batches if your pan is getting crowded). Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
TIP: The chicken is cooked when it is no longer pink inside.
- Return saucepan with penne to medium heat with the butter.
- Add stock concentrate, reserved pasta water and 1/2 the snacking tomatoes. Toss until well coated, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and add half the basil pesto and half the baby spinach leaves, tossing until wilted and combined. Season to taste.
- Slice chicken and reserve a portion for lunch.
- Place some basil pesto penne in a bowl.
- Top with chicken and sprinkle with half the Parmesan cheese to garnish. Enjoy!
- When you're ready to pack your lunch, thinly slice cucumber (see ingredients) into rounds.
- Place cucumber, remaining baby spinach leaves and remaining snacking tomatoes in a container.
- Top with reserved chicken, basil pesto, cheese and croutons. Refrigerate.
- At lunch, toss the garden crouton salad with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and season to taste. Enjoy!
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavour: Many found it tasty, with some suggesting adding extra pesto or a dash of cream for richer flavour.
- Ease of prep: Several customers appreciated the quick and easy weeknight dinner, though some found the dinner-to-lunch instructions confusing.
- Suggestions: Some recommend adding all the pesto to the pasta and pre-cutting chicken into seasoned strips for faster cooking.
- Portions: Many felt the protein and pasta amounts were insufficient for multiple meals, especially for families with children.
- Leftovers: While some enjoyed the next-day lunch option, others found the salad less practical, especially for kids.
