Chicken Pesto Pasta
All you need are some simple ingredients to make this restaurant-quality Chicken Pesto Pasta at home. Perfect for entertaining or for a weeknight meal.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 756kcal
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¾ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 breast), diced into ½-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces dry Penne pasta noodles (225g)
- 2 cups chicken broth (480ml)
- ½ cup basil pesto (120ml)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (120ml)
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup grated parmesan (80g)
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves torn
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine the oil, Italian seasoning, black pepper, salt, and red pepper. Cook until oil is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken. Cook occasionally stirring, until the outside of the pieces is golden browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring frequently.
- Add the pasta and broth, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover the skillet and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently until the pasta is tender and the broth is almost completely absorbed, about 10 minutes more.
- Add the pesto, cream, and sundried tomatoes, stirring to combine.
- Remove from the heat and add the parmesan, stirring until fully incorporated. Stir in fresh basil just before serving. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure you keep the broth simmering and stir frequently to keep the pasta from turning mushy. It’ll also help the pasta cook evenly and prevent it from sticking to the pan.
- If you have a leftover rotisserie chicken in your fridge, you can add that to the pasta instead of cooking the chicken at the beginning.
- Make sure to use a large enough skillet to allow the diced chicken breast to cook evenly in one batch. Avoid overcrowding the pan, or the chicken will steam instead of browning nicely.
- Grate your own parmesan cheese! Freshly grated parmesan melts more smoothly into the pasta than pre-shredded cheese.
- Do not add the pesto and cream too early to the pasta. You want to avoid bringing the two to a boil, as the sauce can separate.
- Avoid waiting too long to serve the pasta. If the pesto chicken pasta sits out too long, it will dry up.
- This recipe doesn’t need much salt since the broth, pesto, and parmesan contain salt. You may need to adjust the seasoning to your taste if using a homemade pesto with less salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 756kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1429mg | Potassium: 795mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1493IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 334mg | Iron: 2mg