Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta is a great choice for a simple weeknight dinner. The recipe uses basic everyday ingredients and is perfect for family meals. You can use homemade or store-bought basil pesto.
Chicken Pesto Pasta - versatile and easily adjustable recipe
This chicken pesto pasta is one of those recipes that you can easily adapt to what you have on hand. The main ingredients, of course, include the basil pesto, chicken breasts (seared and thinly sliced), and pasta. Basil pesto always goes well with tomatoes, so I highly recommend that you incorporate fresh tomatoes in this recipe. I used cherry tomatoes that I roasted in olive oil and garlic at the same time I prepared the pasta - they were a wonderful addition! You can also add sliced fresh tomatoes without roasting them, use sun-dried tomatoes, or skip them altogether.
You might also like this pesto chicken pasta with mushrooms or pesto chicken tortellini.
What type of pasta to use
Because this recipe uses small-size ingredients, such as sliced chicken and roasted tomatoes, I recommend that you use short pasta, such as farfalle (bow-tie pasta), fusilli (spiral pasta), penne, or rigatoni.
How to make Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Prepare the chicken by seasoning it with paprika, salt, and pepper. Use thinly sliced chicken breasts - this will shorten the cooking time considerably. This recipe uses 1.5 lb chicken which usually equates to 2 large chicken breasts. Slice each one in half horizontally before searing.
- Sear the chicken in olive oil, seasoned with paprika, salt, and pepper, on medium-high heat until it's no longer pink in the center. When the chicken is done, remove it to a plate and slice it thinly.
- Cook the pasta in boiling water according to package instructions. That usually means 10 or 15 minutes. Drain.
- Make the sauce by adding basil pesto and cream, to the pan. Add cooked and drained pasta. Toss and reheat gently.
- Roast cherry tomatoes tossed in olive oil and minced garlic while you prepare the chicken pesto pasta.
- Assemble the pasta adding sliced cooked chicken and roasted cherry tomatoes on top of pasta with pesto sauce.
Below are some photos illustrating the cooking process:
What to serve with chicken pesto pasta
- A slice of garlic bread or olive bread.
- A side salad, such as this simple spinach salad or arugula salad with pine nuts.
Cooking Tips and Recipe Notes
- This is a great recipe to use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Just throw it together with the pasta, heat it through, and serve!
- The cream is optional. The heavy cream adds creaminess to the sauce and also balances out the basil pesto flavor which can be quite strong. However, you can omit the cream altogether. Either version of the pasta will be delicious!
- Add cheese. You can add freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top of chicken pesto pasta.
- Add pine nuts as a topping. Since basil pesto is usually made with pine nuts, it's only logical to use whole pine nuts as topping for the pesto pasta, if you wish. I did, and they added an amazing extra flavor touch!
- Add veggies. Tomatoes roasted in olive oil and garlic are a great addition to chicken pesto pasta. You can also use regular tomatoes (without roasting them first), sun-dried tomatoes, or mushrooms.
- Make it spicy. Add red pepper flakes if you would like to make your pasta spicy.
- Serving size. The recipe uses 8 ounces of pasta which makes a total of 4 servings.
Other chicken pesto pasta recipes
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Chicken Pesto Pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 lb chicken breast (2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 8 oz pasta (bow-tie, penne, or fusilli)
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and minced garlic. Spread in a casserole dish. Roast for about 20 minutes while you prepare the pasta.
- Prepare the chicken. This recipe uses 1.5 lb of chicken breasts which usually means 2 large chicken breasts. Make sure to use thinly sliced chicken breasts. Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally. Season them with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet until hot. Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes per each side until it's cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate. Slice it thinly.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
- Add cooked and drained pasta, basil pesto, and cream to the same skillet that you used to sear chicken. Stir gently and bring to simmer to coat pasta with sauce.
- Top with sliced cooked chicken, roasted tomatoes and pine nuts (optional). Season with extra salt and pepper or add crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
- Want to make basil pesto from scratch? Here is the best, the most flavorful, and the creamiest 20-Minute Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe.
- Adjust the amount of basil pesto. This recipe uses ¼ cup of pesto. Feel free to add extra tablespoons of pesto to your taste.
- Add extra toppings. Lightly toasted pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese add extra flavor and texture.
- Use extra veggies. If you want to add more vegetables, add sliced fresh tomatoes, sliced cooked asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, or mushrooms.
- Add spiciness. Add red pepper flakes if you would like to make your pasta spicy.
- Adjust seasonings. Even though the basil pesto tends to be salty, do taste the final dish before serving and season it with extra salt and pepper, if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I avoid recipes with pesto because I dont know what one to buy. Would you please comment on your preferences for store bought Pesto.
Is there a brand preference. Would you say refrigerated is prefered to jarred.
Kathy, I have tried many shelf-stable (jarred) pesto and usually don't like them - the flavor is either too strong, too sour, or just off.
- The only store-bought basil pesto I love and buy all the time is the refrigerated pesto by the Buitoni brand. It's soo good! This is what I've used in this recipe and in many other recipes on my website that call for store-bought pesto.
- I also remember really enjoying the refrigerated basil pesto I bought at Whole Foods (I think it was made in-store) when I lived nearby.
Absolutely amazing and thank you!
Colleen, so glad you enjoyed this!
Or maybe try adding a comment like..."I prefer it without cream". No reason EVER to be hateful!
A., thank you for your kindness and your support - I really appreciate it! 🙂
I have made this 3 times as written and we love it? Would it freeze well? Thanks Julia
Toni, so glad you've made this 3 times!!! 🙂 Unfortunately, this will not freeze well at all. In my experience, it doesn't even refrigerate that well because the sauce separates when reheating and to reheat it properly you have to be very careful and reheat it slowly on low heat.
This is a comforting delicious dish. Served it to my family and felt like a star. I didn't have cream and it was still excellent. Used extra pesto. It's beautiful and tasty. Makes me look like a gourmet cook. I added lightly toasted pine nuts and grated parm. I can only say I can't wait to make it again. I'm going to be serving this to friends in a couple of weeks. Thank you for a simple tasty dish!
Annie, your comment made my day! 🙂 Glad you and your family enjoyed this. I agree - this recipe would work well even without the cream!
This recipe has been a really special recipe for me.
I am happy to hear that! 🙂
Did you have to ruin such a lovely recipe by adding Cream? Yes you definitely did, because you are North American, say no more. This Italian dish, try to make it as such. You guys never learn. You may say: it’s optional to add cream if you want to ruin it (optional). Shame on you .
Wow. Just wow. Kindness.
T, thank you for YOUR kind words - I appreciate it.
Matthew, the shame is ALL on you, clearly.
Julia - Great recipe! I love all types of pasta dishes- this one doesn’t disappoint! Thanks!!
Kameron, thank you for your supportive comment and for appreciating my recipes! 🙂 Happy Holidays! 🙂
I made this last night and it was easy and delicious! The small modifications I made: I had chicken tenderloins so I used them. Also, I grilled them because it was a large package and I didn't want to have to cook them on the stove in batches. I also only had half and half so used that instead of the cream. It still tasted great! I did add a drizzle of balsamic glaze over the finished product on my plate. So good and i will definitely make this again soon!
Julie, I love your changes, especially adding a drizzle of balsamic glaze over the top of the pasta. Thank you for sharing your changes - very helpful to me and other readers. And, thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
I’ve made this twice now as written. Great recipe!
Andy, I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment and the 5-stars! 🙂
You could maybe cook the chicken in the oven with the tomatoes and save a pan
That's another option for cooking this dish!
Thank you for this recipe, so simple and so good. I made mine with sun dried tomatoes, regular Roma tomatoes, spinach and broccoli. The heavy cream worked great as my hubby isn’t a fan of pesto on its own. I used thighs as we usually find breast too dry and not as flavorful. I’ll be making this again for sure!
Mimi, I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe. I love your changes, such as adding more veggies like spinach and broccoli. I also prefer pesto on a creamy side. I have a creamier version of homemade pesto that you might like - here it is:
20-Minute Homemade Basil Pesto
So delicious. I used black eyed peas in place of chicken.
Catherine, glad you liked it! What an interesting substitution - black-eyed peas.
Could this be served cold? Looking for a picnic dish☺️
I think it could. In this case, probably, skip the cream and just use creamy pesto with a little bit of mayo, I have a recipe here: Basil Pesto.
This was incredible! We used whole wheat pasta and added mushrooms. I also roasted some asparagus with the tomatoes. Will add to our regular rotation!
Michele, I love your changes and the additions of mushrooms and asparagus. Sounds so good!
Great! I sautéed the tomatoes and added fresh mushrooms in garlic and olive oil. I used a rotisserie chicken, tore it up and added it to the basil pesto cream sauce. I served it with a tomato caprese salad and it was a hit! Thank you!
Nancy, I love your changes! Garlic mushrooms and rotisserie chicken both sound delicious!
Have you made this with sun dried tomatoes?
No, but I know sun-dried tomatoes would be delicious here - I use them all the time in similar recipes.