This Low FODMAP Chicken Pesto Presto freezer meal is perfect for busy weeknights. A great way to meal prep and have dinner ready at a moment’s notice.
I don’t know about you, but there are just some days that I don’t feel like cooking at all. Nor do I feel like going out or spending money on takeout. For those days, I rely on freezer meals. When my husband and I were first married, I actually didn’t cook much. I worked full-time in engineering and when I wasn’t doing that, I was recovering from surgeries. So we ate a lot of frozen chicken nuggets, pizza and prepared freezer meals like Bird’s Eye Chicken Voila!
A Low-FODMAP Version of Chicken Voila
When I started cooking healthier foods and figuring out my digestive issues, I found that I really missed the Chicken Voila: tasty pasta, chicken and veggies. Just throw it in the skillet and it’s done. So I decided to come up with my own version: Low FODMAP Chicken Pesto Presto. The key ingredient in this freezer meal recipe is frozen pesto sauce cubes. Make up a batch of my Low-FODMAP Spinach Basil Pesto, saute some chicken, and bag it with some frozen veggies and it’s good to freeze! The only thing you have to do is boil some pasta while it’s all cooking up in the skillet. Dinner is served Presto!
How to make Chicken Pesto Presto:
- Make and freeze some pesto
The first step is making up a batch of my Spinach Basil Pesto and freezing it in an ice cube tray. You will get these beautiful cubes of pesto sauce.
- Saute some chicken
The second step is sauteing up a batch of chicken breasts. Simply season with salt and pepper and cook in olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Bag it up
Next, divide the sauteed chicken breasts up evenly between the freezer bags and add a cup each of broccoli and carrots and two cubes of pesto sauce. Freeze until you need ’em!
- Boil some pasta
To make a 2-serving size freezer bag, boil a cup of gluten-free pasta while the chicken, veggies and pesto thaw and simmer in a skillet. Toss the pasta with the chicken mixture. I love my Cuisinart stainless steel pots and pans set. You can find a similar set here: Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless 10-piece Cookware Set. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
- Serve
Low FODMAP Chicken Pesto, Presto!
Ingredients
For the freezer bags:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1.5 lb. package boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 4 cups fresh or frozen sliced carrots
- 8 frozen cubes Spinach Basil Pesto
To prepare each bag (2 servings):
- 1 cup gluten-free pasta (such as rotini, penne or fusilli)
- 1 Chicken Pesto Presto! freezer bag
- 1/4 cup water
- grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
For the freezer bags:
- Dice the chicken breasts into 1″ cubes and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute until browned and no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from pan and let cool.
- To make the freezer bags, label (4) quart-size freezer bags with the name of the recipe and the date. Divide the chicken evenly between the bags and add 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup carrots and 2 frozen pesto cubes to each bag. Freeze.
To prepare each bag (2 servings):
- Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- While pasta is cooking, add the contents of the freezer bag to a large skillet. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 7 to 8 minutes, or until veggies are tender and chicken is heated through.
- Add cooked pasta to chicken mixture and toss to combine. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top.
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