Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep sided pan. Season the chicken with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Cook for around 4 minutes, turn over and cook for several more minutes. Add the lemon zest, juice, chilli and basil pesto. Turn to coat the chicken in the pesto. Stir in the cream and half of the Parmesan cheese. Simmer for about 4 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.
Cook the pasta in plenty of well salted, boiling water. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the cooked pasta and tip into the sauce. Add a little of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce down if necessary. Turn the pasta out into a heated serving bowl and finish with the toasted pine nuts, Parmesan and basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Recipe reprinted with permission of Bibby's Kitchen@36. To see more recipes, please click here.
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