Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta is created by tossing pasta and seasoned chicken cubes in a rich and creamy pesto sauce. This easy and hearty pasta dish is a yummy 25-minute dinner recipe that both adults and kids absolutely love!

Picture this: pieces of juicy chicken tossed together with penne pasta coated in a thick sauce that is a mixture of pesto sauce and cream with hints of garlic and parmesan, loaded with incredible flavors, you’ll be dreaming about it for days. Tide upon tide of yummy and comforting flavors!

If you love pasta (we do too!), don’t forget to check out some of our other favorites such as Pasta Pomodoro, Brown Butter Sage Pasta and Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta.

Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Admit it…there’s just something about pasta and a rich and creamy sauce that just calls out to the soul. And this creamy pesto chicken pasta does just that.

I really do love a good hearty pasta, from the traditional ones, to baked pasta dishes and to the loaded creamy ones, and creamy pesto chicken pasta is right there at the top of one of the more contemporary type of pasta dishes I refused to live without.

When you add a little creaminess and richness to traditional pesto, you quickly transformed it into a warm, hearty and comforting sauce loaded with the fresh and bright basil garlic parmesan flavors we know and love.

And if it’s one thing you need to know about this recipe, is that I have found the perfect ratio of pesto to cream, giving you the BEST creamy pesto chicken pasta.

Creamy pesto chicken pasta is a simple pasta dish using ready-made pesto, and is prepared in 25 minutes, making it the perfect meal for busy evenings.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need to make this creamy pesto chicken pasta:

• penne pasta – penne is one of my favorite types of pasta because its cylindrical shape catches the creamy pesto sauce really well. I also love using rigatoni or fusilli for this recipe. Cook pasta until al dente and avoid overcooking.
• chicken breasts – use boneless, skinless chicken breast. Pat dry and cube. Chicken thighs can be used as well
• pesto – nothing is quite like a solid good homemade pesto. However, in a pinch, store-bought can be used as well.
• butter – Unsalted or salted works. If you are using unsalted butter, you may need to add more salt to the overall dish when everything is done.
• all-purpose flour – use along with the butter to create a roux, which will thicken the creamy pesto sauce.
• half and half – used to bring lots of creaminess to the pesto sauce
• parmesan cheese – optional and used as a topping. If using a pesto without parmesan, you may want to add more than what is called for.
• salt – used to season the chicken, and to open up the flavors of the overall pasta dish uf needed
• pepper – also used to season chicken
• vegetable oil – Or any light neutral oils such as avocado oil or olive oil

How to make it

This one pot creamy pesto chicken pasta recipe is done is under 25 minutes…pretty much my kind of dream dinner!

I love an easy one-dish mess-free dinner, especially on busy days, and this is always on heavy rotation during busy weeks.

Here are step-by-step instructions and pictures that will guide you through the process of making this creamy pesto chicken pasta.

Cook penne pasta

Start by cooking the penne pasta. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package instructions.

Once pasta is al dante, drain the water from the pot and set pasta aside

Cook Chicken

But first, let’s prepare the chicken. Season chicken pieces on all sides then add to the greased skillet.

Sear chicken first and separately on a large skillet to get seasonings into chicken and also to brown the chicken slightly.

I highly recommend using a large skillet or large pot, because this will be the skillet that will eventually whole everything that makes up this creamy pesto chicken pasta – the chicken pieces, pasta and creamy pesto sauce.

Once chicken is done, remove them from the skillet and set aside.

Make the Creamy Pesto Sauce

To make the sauce, we will first make a roux. Add butter to the skillet that you used to sear chicken and once butter is completely melted, add flour, and quickly stir to form a roux, while slowly pouring the half and half.

Use a whisk to mix it continuously until there no longer large pieces of the roux mixture.

When everything is combined, bring pesto into the creamy sauce. Fold to combine.

Sauce should be much thicker at this point. If sauce is too thick, bring heat to the lowest setting and add some water. If sauce is too thin, cook for longer to thicken.

Bring it together!

Add pasta and seared chicken pieces to the creamy pesto sauce.

Toss pasta and chicken in sauce to combine everything together.

Once pasta and chicken are well coated in that rich and creamy pesto sauce, remove everything from heat promptly.

Serve and top creamy pesto chicken pasta with parmesan cheese if you like it even cheesier! Note that most pesto has parmesan in it already, but there’s no harm adding more if you like a lot of parmesan in your pasta.

Then comes the best part…feast and enjoy every single creamy, hearty and delicious bite!

Variations and Modifications

There are so many fun and delicious ways to add to or modify this creamy pesto chicken pasta recipe. Here are some ideas:

• Add veggies – spinach, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, or broccoli are some great options. They add texture and vitamins to the dish and just transform this pasta into a complete meal in a flash!
• Add Italian sausage – Italian sausage brings incredible additional flavors. Cook the sausage after searing the chicken and then remove and bring it back into the sauce to combine everything together.
• Different protein – shrimp or bacon are delicious as well!
• Cheese – More cheese, please! Grated mozzarella is another great add to make the sauce even creamier and cheesier.

Additional Notes

A few additional tips and tricks to ensure success when making this creamy pesto chicken pasta recipe:

• Use good quality pesto: using a high quality pesto will really transform the flavor of this dish. Homemade pestos are often the best and freshest option. Try my pistachio pesto recipe, which is my favorite pesto of all time and works beautifully in this recipe.
• Do not overcook pasta: cook your pasta al dente, which means pasta should be slightly dense or chewy in the center. Also remember that after boiling the pasta in water, you will be cooking the pasta again briefly when you toss it in the sauce.
• Do not rinse cooked pasta in water: when penne is done cooking, if you want to keep it from sticking together, toss it in olive oil. Do not rinse with water as that will wash away the starch on the pasta.
• Season sauce to taste: always taste sauce and add more salt to open up the flavors as needed. The salt content in different pesto will differ greatly, so you’ll have to add salt to taste at the end.

Storage and Reheating

Storage – refrigerate pasta in air tight container for up to 5 days

Reheating – to reheat, drizzle a few drops of water or milk to pasta before heating up in the microwave. Adding water or milk will prevent pasta from drying out when reheated.

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Pumpkin Pasta
• Cherry Tomato Pasta with Chicken
• Pesto Pasta Salad