This Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta features penne pasta smothered in a buttery cream sauce infused with basil pesto, and juicy chicken. It’s indulgent but not ridiculously rich and is ready in 30 minutes.
This creamy chicken pesto pasta is 30 minute dinner of a tasty combination of cooked penne, creamy sauce and juicy chicken. The sauce is more like a luxurious alfredo with a faint green color. It's super flavorful, thick, creamy, comforting and satisfying.
I prefer to use store bought jar from Costco like in the chicken pesto pasta salad recipe or pesto rice.
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Reasons to love
30 minute meal: Perfect for busy weeknights.
Uses jarred pesto: You don’t have to make fresh pesto each time, and it’s convenient for enjoying it year-round.
Restaurant quality: The creamy pesto sauce is silky and luxurious.
Featured comments
From Nancy: "Such an easy to make weekday meal~ the pesto was lovely"
From Lexi: "This recipe is FANTASTIC! Wonderful flavors and easy to prepare. I substituted 3 boneless skinless breasts, which I cut in half to make them thinner and they tasted great. The sauce is creamy and rich but not too much of either. A wonderful dish that has delicious pesto flavor without being overpowering. I will definitely make this again!"
Table of contents
Ingredients you'll need
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Pasta - As in all our penne pasta recipes, I like to use penne, but you can make this dish with any noodle your heart desires, however, I find using bite size shapes like penne, farfelle (or bow tie), fusilli (spiral shaped) or ziti are easier to toss and are scoop-able along cooked meat.
- Basil pesto - I used store bought jar from Costco. If you are looking to make your own, then check out this highly rated recipe from Simplyrecipes.
- Half and Half - Adds luxurious luscious texture without being heavy.
- Stock - I used 33% reduced sodium stock. If you are using no sodium or regular sodium stock, then adjust salt accordingly.
- Chicken - My favorite is always boneless skinless thighs, because it cooks up so tender and impossible to over cook.
- Parmesan cheese - Forget the tasteless powdered parmesan in a green can and buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. It melts ultra smooth without any grittiness.
👩🍳 Half and half substitutes - ½ cup whole milk + ¼ cup heavy cream (or) ¼ cup low fat milk+ ½ cup heavy cream.
Substitutions & Variations
- Skip cream - Use all whole milk for a lighter sauce, but with some compromise in creaminess and taste. Canned coconut milk may also be used instead of half and half for a healthier twist like in instant pot shrimp pasta.
- With tomatoes - Stir in halved cherry tomatoes or sun dried tomatoes along with cooked penne and parmesan cheese.
- With roasted tomatoes - Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and chopped garlic. Spread them evenly in a small baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until tomatoes are collapsing and slightly charred. Toss along with cooked penne.
- Add asparagus - Cut trimmed asparagus into 1-inch pieces and saute along with onion and garlic in the recipe. Finish off with halved cherry tomatoes at the end. I like to also toss in chopped leftover cooked asparagus.
- With vegetables - Stir sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus or green beans in the recipe.
- Make it cheesy - Stir in grated mozzarella at the end.
- Add spinach - Stir in baby spinach towards the last couple of minutes of cooking.
- Use leftover rotisserie chicken instead of thighs.
- Sear shrimp and toss at the end.
- Love Mediterranean-style pesto pasta? Try this tuna pesto pasta with kalamata olives.
How to make chicken pesto pasta?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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How to make basil pesto?
If you are lucky to be blessed with an abundant supply of fresh basil in your backyard, then here is a quick recipe - Pulse ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts, 1 large garlic clove and ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese in a food processor, until finely ground.
Add about 3 cups of fresh basil leaves, salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes, close the food processor and turn it on. Slowly drizzle ½ cup olive oil through the feed tube and run the processor until a smooth sauce forms.
Storage and reheating
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. After that, the flavors might tend to get muted.
To Reheat, simply microwave the dish or reheat it on the stove over low heat, with a splash of water or broth to moisten it up.
Recipe tips
- Basil pesto - You can use homemade or store bought, whichever you prefer. I often use Kirkland basil pesto from Costco to save time. Be sure to choose jars from the refrigerator case rather than the shelf stable type.
- Use Boneless skinless thighs or breasts.
- Be sure to cook your meat in a single layer so it gets a golden brown crust. If you overcrowd the pan, it might steam instead. It’s best to work in batches if your pan is not large enough to fit everything at once.
- Use your favorite pasta shape instead of penne.
- Don't have half & half? Use equal parts of heavy cream and milk.
- This is a great recipe to use leftover or rotisserie chicken. Just throw it together with the penne, heat it through, and serve.
Recipe FAQs
I prefer not to freeze as pasta dishes using creamy pasta sauce don’t freeze well, as the texture can become grainy, and the noodles tend to turn mushy when reheated.
If you are looking for alternative protein options, you could try this recipe with shrimp, salmon, or even tofu. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Whole milk could work, but it’ll likely thin the sauce out too much. For a perfectly creamy, velvety texture, I recommend sticking with half-and-half or using a combination of milk and cream.
So there you have it – a delicious, easy, and quick creamy chicken pesto pasta recipe. I hope you’ll give it a try the next time you’re looking for a simple but tasty meal that both kids and adults would love.
More chicken pasta dishes
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 to 3 boneless & skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size chunks
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock I used 33% reduced sodium
- ¾ cup half & half (or use equal parts of milk and heavy cream)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup basil pesto
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the penne pasta, and cook according to the package instructions until al dente and drain.👉 I like to proceed with the rest of the process while the water is boiling, so the dish is ready in under 30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place the chicken in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's golden brown on both sides. Then, transfer the chicken to a bowl.
- Reduce heat to medium, add butter, chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until translucent. Stir in flour and cook stirring consistently for about one minute.
- Add chicken stock, half & half, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, more salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix well, continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce comes to a gentle boil and has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked chicken along with accumulated juices and pesto. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 to 2 minutes for the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Stir in cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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Nina Lee
the creamy pesto pasta is delicious and a very good recipe. Thank you
Lexi
This recipe is FANTASTIC! Wonderful flavors and easy to prepare. I substituted 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, which I cut in half to make them thinner and they tasted great. The sauce is creamy and rich but not too much of either. A wonderful dish that has delicious pesto flavor without being overpowering. I will definitely make this again!
Maria Doss
Hi Lexi, Glad you loved it, Maria
nancy
such an easy to make weekday meal~ the pesto was lovely
Maria Doss
Thank you Nancy, have a wonderful day - Maria