Quick Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Chicken pesto pasta is flavor-packed and easy to make for a weeknight dinner. It has fresh basil flavors from homemade basil walnut pesto and is quick and easy to make!

Chicken and pesto pasta is loaded with amazing flavors! Chicken is juicy and packed with flavors from pesto. Boil the pasta and cook the chicken breasts simultaneously, side by side, and in just a few minutes, dinner is ready! Feel free to use store-bought pesto to speed up cooking.

For a quick vegetarian weeknight dinner, try pasta e piselli (pasta with peas). Your family will love it.

Ingredients

1. Pasta – you can use any pasta. Spaghetti, bucatini, angel hair, linguine, and tagiatelle are best. Rigatoni or fusilli can also be used!
2. Pesto – I highly recommend you use fresh homemade pesto. You can use any type of pesto, basil pesto, parsley pesto, or cilantro pesto all works. For convenience, you can use store-bought pesto.
3. Chicken – use boneless chicken breasts and chicken thighs. If you love seafood, use shrimp.
4. Chicken seasoning – salt and pepper along with Italian seasoning is all you need. You can add more flavors with spices like cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Use Cajun seasoning or seasoning salt instead.
5. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – use good quality olive oil for better taste.
6. Fresh tomato salsa – this is optional. It adds fresh flavor to the pasta.
7. Garnish – Parmesan, toasted walnuts (or pinenuts), and fresh basil leaves.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: To make basil pesto add fresh basil leaves, toasted walnuts, garlic, lime or lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Blend. Slowly pour extra virgin olive oil while blending until pesto is creamy.

Step 2: Adjust the consistency of the pesto sauce to your liking, you can make it smooth and creamy or leave it slightly coarse.

Step 3: Season chicken breast with salt, freshly ground pepper, and Italian seasoning on both sides. Heat EVOO in a cast iron pan or a skillet. Sear and cook seasoned chicken breasts.

Step 4: Don’t overcook the chicken, it’ll turn dry and rubbery. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for a few minutes. Slice the breasts into smaller pieces and set aside.

Step 5: Cook pasta in boiling water seasoned with a generous amount of salt.

Step 6: Always cook pasta al-dente. Do not rinse the pasta. Reserve some of the pasta cooked water.

Step 7: As soon as it’s cooked al-dente using thongs transfer it to a large skillet.

Step 8: Do not stir pesto sauce into the pasta on a hot stove. It will turn black as the basil leaves will begin to cook. Pour pesto sauce over cooked pasta. Toss gently to coat evenly. Add pasta-cooked water (about 2 to 4 tablespoons or as required) to emulsify the sauce. You’ll have creamy pasta in pesto sauce.

Best served immediately warm. Add cooked chicken and top with fresh tomato salsa. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves, and toasted crushed walnuts.

Tips

1. I highly recommend you use fresh homemade pesto sauce. It makes a world of difference.
2. Though you can use any pasta for this recipe, consider choosing one of these – Spaghetti noodles – bucatini, tagliatelle, linguine, angel hair, Penne pasta, Bow tie, Rigatoni, Fusilli, Chickpea pasta (gluten-free pasta option), Zucchini noodles (for a healthier option).
3. Always cook pasta al-dente. Do not rinse pasta.
4. Don’t stir in pesto sauce on a hot stove, it will turn black.
5. Use pasta-cooked water to emulsify the sauce. You’ll have creamy pasta in pesto sauce.
6. Add protein (chicken, shrimp) to make a meal of it.
7. Always serve pasta with pesto sauce immediately, warm. As it sits on the counter it begins to turn black.

Storage

It’s best to serve this pasta immediately. If you have leftovers, transfer them to an air-tight container and store them in the fridge. You can keep it for a day. Longer storage = pesto sauce changes the color turning pasta darker.
Do not overheat stored pasta, heat on low flame until just warm, and add some chicken stock or water while reheating to emulsify the sauce.

Recipe FAQs

5 from 1 vote

📋Quick Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Jyothi Rajesh

For flavor packed weeknight dinner try this chicken pesto pasta! It’s full of flavors, fresh, quick and easy to make! Pasta is an emotion and this pesto pasta is truly a family favorite!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 883

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb 14 oz or 450 grams spaghetti pasta, you can also use penne, fusilli or other pasta
• ▢ ½ cup pasta cooking water
• ▢ 1 cup fresh basil walnut pesto
• ▢ 2 chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil EVOO
• ▢ ½ cup fresh tomato diced (tomato salsa)
• ▢ ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves chopped
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• To make basil pesto add fresh basil leaves, toasted walnuts, garlic, lime or lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Blend. Slowly pour extra virgin olive oil while blending until pesto is creamy.
• Adjust the consistency of the pesto sauce to your liking, you can make it smooth and creamy or leave it slightly coarse.
• Season chicken breast with salt, freshly ground pepper, and Italian seasoning on both sides. Heat EVOO in a cast iron pan or a skillet. Sear and cook seasoned chicken breasts.
• Don’t overcook the chicken, it’ll turn dry and rubbery. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for a few minutes. Slice the breasts into smaller pieces and set aside.
• Cook pasta in boiling water seasoned with a generous amount of salt.
• Always cook pasta al-dente. Do not rinse the pasta. Reserve some of the pasta cooked water.
• As soon as it's cooked al-dente using thongs transfer it to a large skillet.
• Do not stir pesto sauce into the pasta on a hot stove. It will turn black as the basil leaves will begin to cook. Pour pesto sauce over cooked pasta. Toss gently to coat evenly. Add some pasta-cooked water (about 2 to 4 tablespoons or as required) to emulsify the sauce. You’ll have creamy pasta in pesto sauce.
• Best served immediately warm. Add cooked chicken and top with fresh tomato salsa. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves, and toasted crushed walnuts.

Video

Notes

1. 1. I highly recommend you use fresh homemade pesto sauce. It makes a world of difference.
   2. Though you can use any pasta for this recipe, consider choosing one of these – Spaghetti noodles – bucatini, tagliatelle, linguine, angel hair, Penne pasta, Bow tie, Rigatoni, Fusilli, Chickpea pasta (gluten-free pasta option), Zucchini noodles (for a healthier option).
   3. Always cook pasta al-dente. Do not rinse pasta.
   4. Don’t stir in pesto sauce on a hot stove, it will turn black.
   5. Use pasta-cooked water to emulsify the sauce. You’ll have creamy pasta in pesto sauce.
   6. Add protein (chicken, shrimp) to make a meal of it.
   7. Always serve pasta with pesto sauce immediately, warm. As it sits on the counter it begins to turn black.

Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 883kcalCarbohydrates: 91gProtein: 44gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 822mgPotassium: 727mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1471IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 223mgIron: 3mg

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