I participated in the Mom Blog Tour Summer Fancy Food Show Tour (#MomBlogTourFF) on behalf of Wendy’s Bloggers. I received Academia Barilla products to review, however, the recipe and opinions in this post are my own.
Delicious pasta, chicken, lemon, fresh basil, and avocados come together to create this sophisticated yet simple to prepare Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta. Skip your traditional sauce and give this vibrant dish a try!
One thing my whole house can agree on when it comes to food is pasta, I know that my family is not alone in that. Pasta graces more tables come dinner time than just about any other staple. Did you know that the average American, eats 51 pounds of pasta each year? I’m willing to bet that both of my kids eat way more than that!
At this year’s Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City, I was introduced to Academia Barilla. Barilla Pasta is always in my pantry, so I was very excited to discover that a brand I trust has a gourmet line restaurant-quality pasta.
Barilla is Italy’s #1 selling brand of pasta. The new gourmet line of Academia Barilla, made with non-GMO ingredients, is restaurant-quality pasta. The magic begins with Aureo durum wheat grown by a small group of hand-selected Italian farmers. The pasta dough is pressed through traditional bronze dies to create a perfectly rough texture, hydrating more quickly upon cooking and capturing more sauce for the perfect flavor experience in every delicious bite. Academia Barilla’s products are made with the best ingredients and support local artisans, regional differences, and innovation while maintaining the tradition. Taste the difference!
Avocados are a nutritional powerhouse! Pairing avocado with pasta is not only smart, but it’s also fork after fork of creamy deliciousness! Making this Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta is easy. By the time the water is boiling for the pasta, you have just about made your sauce. All you need to add is a bit of your pasta water and your sauce is complete. You can choose to add some shredded chicken to the sauce or enjoy it meatless or with a sprinkling of crumbled bacon. It’s your call. Choosing to use a store-bought rotisserie chicken (or breast) makes this dinner a snap!
This Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta is so good, like wiggle in your chair while you eat with happiness good! My husband was not into the idea of this the first time I made it at all and then just kept saying over and over how he couldn’t believe how much he likes it (score one for me!!). It’s funny, he will eat a little guac, but that’s it for him when it comes to avocados (sigh…I know!!). In his mind avocados and cilantro go hand in hand and he wants nothing and I mean nothing to do with cilantro, which is why I went with basil in this sauce, and I have to say as a cilantro lover (and testing out both basil and cilantro)…Basil is the way to go here!
This is seriously one of my favorite pasta dishes now, the Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta sauce is so incredibly fresh tasting. If you enjoy spicy food, add in as much red pepper or jalapeno as you like. Oh and here’s a tip from the chefs at Academia Barilla. When you salt your pasta water before boiling, it should taste like the sea. Gordon Ramsay says that too. So I listen 🙂
Avocado Lemon Pasta & Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Academia Barilla Pasta Linguini
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 TBS chopped jalapeno up to a whole jalapeno
- 1/3 cup Basil
- 2 avocados skins and pit removed.
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1/4 cup grapeseed avocado or olive oil
- Kosher salt & pepper
- Basil grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese & lemon zest for garnish
- Shredded chicken
Instructions
- In your food processor or power blender, pulse garlic, jalapeno, basil, avocado and lemon juice until almost smooth.
- Drizzle in oil and pulse until smooth.
- Add in hot pasta water until sauce reaches the consistency you enjoy (1/4 cup to 1/2 cup).
- Season, pulse, taste and adjust.
- Toss with shredded chicken (if you are using it).
- Toss sauce and pasta (with or without shredded chicken) in a bowl until evenly coated, portion out the pasta and then garnish with grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese & lemon zest. If you want more spice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Always test a jalapeno before using it in a dish due to the incredible range it may have from mild to very spicy.
The sauce is meant to be enjoyed fresh since the avocado will discolor.
Helene Korchin says
I hope to try it very soon!
Rosie says
This recipe has everything I love, especially during summer. I would love to make it! And I now know to salt my water so it tastes like the sea!
Rachel says
I think that the recipe looks fantastic. I look forward to trying it in the future!
Tim says
I may be the only person on Earth who doesn’t like avacodos, but when they are just a part of an overall recipe, I don’t mind eating them.
Kim Henrichs says
That recipe looks super delicious!!
Chrissy says
I think this recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I think even my pick y two year old would eat this!
Joyce McCarthy says
I’ve made this recipe twice and we love it. I did skip the jalapenos and used crushed red pepper flakes as a finish. After I added the sauce to the pasta in the pan, I removed it from the heat and added Romano and mixed. Again I added more just before serving.
We have this as a main course with a Caprese salad with a warm Balsamic reduction and warm crusty Italian bread This is a wonderful recipe with a fresh garden taste and still a bit of zip. I’ll make a small plate as an appetizer for my next dinner party. It’a very easy recipe and the sauce can be made hours ahead. Thanks for posting it.
Colleen says
Wonderful to hear. This is a favorite of my daughter and mine as well!