Pesto is a complete sauce when you have one good jar; roasted chicken thighs get a crusty exterior while pasta cooks, and tossing them together with pasta water makes a silky dish ready in under thirty minutes.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 10 at the stove.

About 1340 calories a serving, 82 g protein, 90 g carbohydrate, 70 g fat. From USDA figures for 67% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Heat your oven to 450°F [230°C]. Pat one pound of chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, lay in the thighs skin-side down, and roast until skin is golden and the meat reads 165°F [74°C] at the thickest part, about 20 minutes; start checking at 15.20 min
2. While the chicken roasts, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 8 ounces of pasta and cook until just tender, about 9 minutes; reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.9 min
3. Cut the roasted thighs into bite-sized pieces. Toss the hot pasta with the chicken, 1/2 cup of pesto, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, adding more water a tablespoon at a time if the sauce seems tight, until it coats the pasta lightly.

Note Swap boneless thighs or chicken breast for whole thighs; reduce roasting time to 12 minutes for thinner cuts. Leftovers keep four days chilled; reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with lemon wedges and a green salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar.