Nothing better than this creamy chicken pesto pasta recipe! A simple pasta dish loaded with juicy chicken, tossed in a creamy pesto parmesan sauce.
Check out all some of my other classic pasta dishes, like Cheesy Taco Pasta or classic Chicken Alfredo pasta.
CHICKEN PESTO PASTA
You need to give this creamy pesto pasta dish a try! Juicy and flavorful chicken, tender pasta, and a rich pesto parmesan cream sauce all combined into one delicious pasta dish. This pesto pasta recipe is packed with creamy, nutty flavors and comes together in under 30 minutes! If you love pesto sauce, then this creamy pesto pasta is for you!
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Pasta– You can use either long or short pasta in this pesto pasta- penne, rotini, cavatappi, elbows, rigatoni, spaghetti, angel hair, fettuccine, you name it.
- Chicken– For this pasta, you can use either chicken breast or chicken thighs. You can also use any other chicken, such as shredded chicken, blackened chicken, crispy chicken cutlets, grilled chicken thighs, or any other chicken.
- Pesto– The main ingredient for this chicken pesto pasta is pesto sauce! You can use either store-bought pesto or homemade. I use my Walnut Basil Pesto sauce for this recipe.
- Butter– For the creamy pesto parmesan sauce, the base is butter! You can use either salt or unsalted butter, just adjust your salt if using salted butter.
- Flour– Adding flour to the parmesan pasta sauce helps to thicken the sauce! All-purpose flour works great!
- Milk– For this recipe you can use what you have on hand, either regular whole milk or half and half creamer! You can also even mix creamer and milk.
- Parmesan– You want to use freshly grated parmesan for the best results. But you can also use pre-grated parmesan cheese.
- Flavor– To season the pasta sauce, this recipe calls for salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. The key flavors come from pesto sauce, so you don’t want to over season this dish. If you don’t like spice, don’t add red pepper flakes.
HOW TO MAKE PESTO PASTA
This creamy pesto pasta recipe with chicken is such a simple dish that makes for a great weeknight dinner!
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and add back into the pot and close with the lid to keep warm.
- Rinse and cube the chicken breast into small bite sized pieces. In a small bowl, combine the seasonings for the chicken.
- In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sauté.
- Season the chicken in the seasoning blend and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside. (Cover to keep warm as you prepare the pasta sauce.)
- In the same skillet, add butter and allow it to melt on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, mix in the flour and pesto sauce until well combined.
- Pour in the milk, parmesan cheese, and seasonings and bring to a simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken.
- Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken and cooked pasta to the sauce and mix until well combined.
- Add additional parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil.
- Serve immediately with desired sides.
PASTA VARIATIONS
This creamy pesto pasta recipe is such an easy and delicious pasta dish! You can enjoy it as is or add more ingredients to it!
- Mushrooms
- Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Shrimp
- Diced tomatoes
- Bell Peppers
- Zucchini
- Steak
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
If you don’t like pesto sauce, then you want to make plain chicken alfredo pasta. LINK
Yes, you can totally make a plain pesto pasta dish or swap the chicken for steak or shrimp!
This pasta comes together in under 30 minutes! But you can totally prepare ahead of time, by cooking the chicken!
Once the pesto pasta is cooled, store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
The key to getting creamy leftover pasta is adding a splash of cream or milk! Add the desired amount of leftover pasta to a skillet along with 1-2 Tbsp of milk or creamer and some additional parmesan cheese. Cook on medium heat, until the pasta is reheated and the milk has thickened up the sauce!
SERVING IDEAS-
Pair this delicious and easy chicken pesto pasta dish with the right sides for the ultimate dinner!
- Garlic Bread
- Olive Garden Salad
- Breadsticks
- Pickles
- Classic Garden Salad
- Garlic Toast
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta short or long pasta
Chicken-
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
Pesto Sauce-
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup basil pesto sauce
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once the pasta is tender, drain and add back into the pot. Cover and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, paprika garlic, and Italian seasoning.
- Rinse the chicken breast and cube into bite sized pieces.
- Heat a large skillet with the oil on medium high heat. Once hot, add in the chicken and chicken seasonings, mix and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the skillet. (You can keep the chicken in the skillet as you cook the pasta sauce, if desired.)
- In the same skillet, add butter and cook on medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, add flour and pesto sauce and mix until well combined.
- Mix in the milk, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and bring it to a simmer. (Be sure to keep mixing to avoid the bottom from burning.)
- Once the pasta sauce has thickened, remove from heat and add the chicken and cooked pasta to the skillet and toss until well combined.
- Top with additional grated parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil.
- Serve immediately with desired sides.
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