Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

Welp, I’m officially planning my wedding. I’m not hiring a wedding planner because a) I used...

Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

Welp, I’m officially planning my wedding. I’m not hiring a wedding planner because a) I used to be an event planner and b) I’d rather put the money towards the Etsy binge I’m on right now.

Once I started on Pinterest, I couldn’t stop. I thought I was bad enough with food pins, but man, oh man, wedding pins… how can I stop!

Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

I literally spent all of Friday morning (until about 12:30pm) on Pinterest. I’m happy Lu didn’t propose before my cookbook manuscript was due, because I would have never been able to finish it on time.

Anyway, thank gosh for my spiralizer, because my mind has been racing with wedding ideas, but whenever I start cooking, all that goes away and I’m totally zen.

Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

But enough wedding talk. Basil + feta = love at first bite.

So, I don’t know why I haven’t put feta into my pesto before this. Feta works so well in a pesto because it’s creamy and salty. I thought it would overtake the freshness of the basil, but it complements it instead. It meshed so well that I used Blade B in this recipe so that the pesto had more surface area to cling on to, equalling more pesto in each bite!

Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

The raw zucchini noodles coat perfectly in the pesto and give this dish a lovely crunchiness. Although the chicken and okra are obviously cooked, it’s not odd to have a cold noodle and the hot toppings. The noodles actually warm up slightly when they’re tossed together with the chicken and okra.

I am so disappointed when I see okra fried, because it has such an original flavor itself. Here, the juices from the chicken cook with the okra and both slightly brown for an even richer flavor. Lu heated the leftovers up after I made them and he said, “okra tastes like shishito peppers.” Pretty interesting comparison.

Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

Next time you pass okra at the farmer’s market, grab yourself a bag and fill up! Okra’s chock full of dietary fiber, so this veg will keep you feeling fuller, longer.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy okra?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Inspiralized

Chicken and Okra with Basil Feta Pesto Zucchini Pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 pieces of okra sliced into ½” pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 clove of garlic minced
  • 1 large zucchini Blade B, noodles trimmed
  • For the basil pesto:
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 packed cups of basil
  • ¼ cup feta cheese
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon grinded pepper

Instructions

  • Combine all of the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor and blend until creamy. Set aside.
  • Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until almost cooked through and then add in the okra and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through, shaking the pan to prevent the garlic from burning.
  • While mixture is cooking, combine the zucchini noodles and pesto into a mixing bowl and toss to combine thoroughly, until all noodles are coated in pesto. Set aside.
  • When mixture is done cooking, pour into the bowl with the dressed zucchini noodles and toss to coat thoroughly. Divide into plates and serve.
with love, Ali

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comments

  • Isn't it "ground" pepper? Or freshly ground? Just the teacher in me questioning. Just looked odd to me, but recipe sounds great!
    • The word "grinded" was used here to emphasize the use of a pepper grinder. It's acceptable by Webster's!
  • Hi Ali, dare I ask if there's a substitute I could use in place of the okra? Lovely recipe but no okra within a 100 miles here :)) thank you.
  • This sounds wonderful, even though I'm not at all sure about the okra. I guess I've had a couple of bites of fried okra over my lifespan, and wasn't taken with it. I guess it would be less gluey the way you're cooking it. It's certainly worth trying.
  • Love your recipes, but am never sure how many portions to expect. Understandably everyone gauges that differently, but am guessing (?) this would serve 2?
    • whoops, never mind! Just saw that the serving side is in the nutrition facts.
  • This looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful healthy recipes with us! xo
  • Hi Ali, Looks delicious! What makes the fat content so high at 30 grams? Is Feta that much?
  • OMG this recipe is fabulous. Several posts saying it "sounds good", well take it from me, it IS good. Used zucchini from my garden and okra from the local farmers market. Great twist to use Feta instead of Parmesan in the pesto. Yum, eating as I write!