This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. Full Disclosure Policy.
Chicken Pesto Pasta is a super easy, super yummy weeknight dinner that checks all the boxes. Your family will love it and fight over the last bowl!
Easy? Check. Uses pantry ingredients? Check Delicious? Check.
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
This creamy, delicious recipe was made on a whim one day using what I had in the refrigerator. Ever since then, it’s been a favorite with the family and on regular rotation in the meal plan. It’s great because it’s done in under 30 minutes! You make the pesto sauce while the pasta is cooking!
This dish is really good, really quick and really easy. This is even better the next day, and is actually really tasty COLD. Who knew?
It’s one of my favorites because it’s so adaptable. You can use leftover chicken if you have it in the fridge. Add different vegetables to round it out (steamed broccoli or sauteed red peppers are great ones to add!)
If you’re into pasta dishes, check out my Skillet Mac & Cheese or my Spaghetti Carbonara!
Why this recipe works
- Pantry Ingredients. When I say “pantry” I mean refrigerator too. I pretty much always have these ingredients!
- Easy to make. No looking up fancy cooking terms. This is good, home cooked food with no airs and graces.
- Done in under 30 minutes. Some nights, you just don’t have time to mess around. Dinner needs to be DONE!
Kylee’s Notes & FAQ
What temperature should chicken be cooked to?
Use a digital thermometer and check your chicken in the thickest part of a piece. It needs to be 165 degrees F.
Substitutions:
- You can switch this up and use shrimp instead of chicken, or even some fish fillets as they’ll cook super fast and will taste great with the pesto.
- Roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes are a great sub for cherry tomatoes, if you have them in your pantry!
- Steamed broccoli or red peppers are also fabulous
Ingredients:
- Pasta – any shape will do. I use farfalle (bow ties), but shells, penne, rigatoni,
- Chicken – I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces.
- Salt & pepper, onion powder – season it up!
- Tomatoes – these can be grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes – or even chunked up roma tomatoes. Use what you have!
- Cream cheese – you can use full fat or reduced fat, it won’t make major difference.
- Milk. I use 2% or whole (or half & half if I’m feeling decadent)
- Pesto – homemade pesto is always going to be better, but I buy basil pesto from the grocery store to have on hand for nights when I need to make pesto pasta!
- Parmesan cheese
How to make this recipe:
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
Step 2: Cook the Chicken
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and onion powder, and heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the garlic to the skillet, then the chicken and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through. Add the tomatoes during the last few minutes.
Set aside and keep warm.
Step 3: Make the Sauce
In the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, add the milk, cream cheese and pesto, whisking to melt the cream cheese and thicken the sauce.
Taste the sauce!! If you want to add more pesto, you absolutely should.
Step 3: Assemble – Chicken Pesto Pasta
Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce, and toss to combine. Add the chicken and tomatoes, and grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the top.
Devour.
More delicious chicken recipes:
- Lemon Butter Chicken – quick and easy, and packed full of flavor. Also uses pantry ingredients!
- Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner – just season your food, and add it to a sheet pan. Dinner is DONE.
- Chicken Florentine – a great stuffed chicken with a GORGEOUS pan sauce. You’ll lick the skillet.
Get free recipes in your inbox!
Find me on Pinterest, Facebook & Instagram.
If you make this recipe, please comment and let me know how it turned out and leave a star rating!
Pesto Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta (I use farfalle, but any shaped pasta works)
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 3 oz prepared pesto (this is about 6 Tbs)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain, set aside
- Season chicken with salt, pepper and onion powder and cook in a large skillet with the minced garlic until brown and cooked through.
- Add milk, cream cheese and pesto, and whisk to melt the cream cheese. Cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Taste the sauce, and add more pesto if you like!
- Add in the cooked and drained pasta and toss until well combined.
- Add the chicken and cherry tomatoes over the top.
- Grate some parmesan cheese, add some fresh cracked pepper.
- Devour.
Notes
Use a digital thermometer and check your chicken in the thickest part of a piece. It needs to be 165 degrees F. Substitutions:
- You can switch this up and use shrimp instead of chicken, or even some fish fillets as they’ll cook super fast and will taste great with the pesto.
- Roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes are a great sub for cherry tomatoes, if you have them in your pantry!
- Steamed broccoli or red peppers are also fabulous
Nutrition Facts
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Shelley says
20 minutes? With pantry staples?? YES!!! I love how you used the cream cheese and milk to make a quick and easy cream sauce – a yummy twist on typical summer pesto pasta recipes. And perfect timing to find this recipe, since I have soooo many cherry tomatoes begging to be used up! Thanks!