Valentina's Corner
This Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe is ready in under 30 minutes! Tender penne pasta with juicy chicken breast tossed in a creamy pesto alfredo sauce using homemade pesto.
Serve the pasta with homemade breadsticks for a complete meal.
This pasta is a great idea for Italian dinner nights and is on rotation with our other favorite pasta like the mushroom chicken pasta or our broccoli chicken alfredo recipe.
CREAMY CHICKEN PESTO PASTA-
Though this creamy pesto pasta recipe is an easy dinner recipe, it tastes amazing! Pasta with juicy chicken breast tossed in a homemade pesto alfredo sauce combined with homemade pesto – the perfect combination of flavors.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PESTO PASTA-
You can have this delicious pesto pasta recipe ready in under 30 minutes!
- Make pesto– Prepare half of a recipe of homemade basil pesto sauce, or easily substitute for store-bought pesto.
- Pasta– Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and cover to keep warm.
- Cook chicken– Make a recipe of our pan-seared chicken breast. Cover the chicken to keep warm and set aside. Once cooled, slice or cube the chicken.
- Make alfredo sauce– In a deep skillet, prepare our alfredo sauce recipe or use store-bought alfredo. Add in the pesto sauce and stir to combine.
- Combine everything– Add the sliced chicken and pasta to the sauce. Toss until well combined.
- Serve pasta– Garnish with freshly chopped basil and parmesan cheese and serve!
PESTO PASTA VARIATIONS-
There are so many ways to enjoy this pesto pasta recipe!
- MEAT– We used chicken breast in our recipe but you can easily substitute for chicken thighs, shrimp or sausage.
- PASTA– We used penne pasta for the recipe but just about any pasta will work great and now alter the final outcome.
- VEGGIES– You can add your favorite vegetables to the dish! Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms or asparagus will all work great.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS-
Reheat this dish in a skillet until warm. If your pasta seems dry you can add some half & half during reheating to loosen up the sauces.
This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breast but you can also use chicken thighs or even substitute it for a different protein.
We use penne pasta for this but any pasta will work in this easy recipe.
For this recipe, we use homemade basil pesto, but you can use any of your favorite pesto sauces with great results.
This recipe is great to make ahead of time, especially if you are hosting! Cook the pasta, chicken, make the alfredo sauce and pesto, and keep them in separate containers. Then just continue with the recipe and serve.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
OTHER PASTA RECIPES-
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 1 recipe pan seared chicken
- 1 recipe Alfredo sauce
- 1/2 cup basil pesto sauce
Instructions
Cook pasta-
- Cook the penne pasta according to package instructions. Drain, cover and set aside to keep warm.
Cook chicken-
- Prepare a recipe for homemade pan seared chicken breast and set aside.
Make sauce-
- In a deep skillet, over low/medium heat, melt together butter and garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Whisk together the heavy whipping cream and flour pout into the skillet, whisk vigorously. Add the parmesan cheese, pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook over low heat until sauce thickens, stirring frequently.
- Add the cooked pasta and sliced chicken into the skillet and toss to combine.
- Top with fresh chopped basil and grated parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!