Chicken Pesto Pasta – A soft penne topped with creamy harvey pesto sauce and topped with perfectly seasoned grilled chicken. This dish makes any weekday meal special! With its sacred taste and minimal preparation time, all of this chicken pesto pasta is a big win!
Sauce pasta is a lifesaver! I serve them at home at least once a week. There is not enough time, especially on busy weekday nights. They are easy to assemble, endlessly versatile, and appeal to virtually everyone’s taste buds.
But I’m tired of traditional spaghetti, meatballs, and old-fashioned macaroni and cheese. That’s why I love this chicken pesto pasta. It comes together in record speed and uses the basic materials I always have in my pantry. And it’s not only unusual, it can also be tasted from this world!
What is plague?
Pest is a simple basil-based sauce from Genoa, Italy. Fresh garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt and parmesan cheese enhance the flavor. Some delicious variations use walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, or kale. It is traditionally prepared with a mortar and pestle. But most people these days (including myself!) Prepare it with a food processor or blender.
Recipe ingredients
- pasta – I chose penne pasta, but you can use any short pasta for this recipe.
- Chicken breast – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are best. I like to season chicken with Italian seasoning, but I can only choose salt and pepper.
- spices – Onions, garlic and thyme add a layer of flavor to the sauce. Pepper flakes are optional, but I like the contrast between spicy pepper flakes and creamy sauce.
- flour – I use medium-strength flour to thicken the sauce. You can replace it with your favorite gluten-free flour.
- Chicken broth – Normal or low sodium broth works just as well. Alternatively, you can substitute vegetable soup.
- cream – what can I say? I love cream. But to reduce calories, you can replace it in half.
- Parmesan – Freshly grated is preferred, but powdered ones can be pinched and used without problems.
- Plague – Fresh is the best! Try my homemade pesto recipe and add a special touch. But hey, I get it. If you need to buy a bottle, don’t feel guilty.
How to make chicken pesto pasta
- Make pasta – Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the package or until al dente. Reserve around the cup to drain the water. Save it.
- Cook chicken – Salt the chicken breast and then season with Italian seasonings. Or use only salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or frying pan over medium heat until hot, then add chicken and brown on both sides for 4-5 minutes to achieve a uniform brown color. Gently remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Saute – Add butter to the same frying pan over medium heat, then add onions, garlic and thyme. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are wilted.
- Make the sauce – Put the flour in a whisk and heat on low heat for about 1 minute. Pour the cream, add chicken broth in a whisk, bring to a boil, reduce to low heat for about 3-5 minutes, or simmer until the sauce is low and thick. Add pesto, parmesan cheese and pepper flakes (optional).
- Mix and serve – Add cooked pasta to the saucepan, stir and coat. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water. Remove from the heat. Topped with chicken breast and garnished with chopped basil.
Recipe variations
- Use grilled shrimp, bacon, or sausage instead of chicken. Alternatively, omit the chicken and use stir-fried Portabella instead to make it a meatless dish.
- Be creative with vegetables! Add mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and broccoli saute to your pasta for a more delicious and healthy meal. It is also delicious to boil with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes!
- Place pine nuts on each plate for visual appeal and flavor and extra touch of crunch.
Tips and tricks
- You can use any pasta, but short pastas such as penne, fusilli, and bowtie are most effective because they hold a bite-sized creamy sauce better than other pastas.
- The recipe requires you to cook raw chicken breast, but even leftover cooked chicken and even rotisserie chicken purchased in the store are great options to save time. Just cut it into bite-sized pieces, put it in pasta and heat it!
- If you don’t rinse the pasta after cooking, it will become more sticky and help the pasta absorb more of its delicious sauce!
Prior instructions
Fresh creamy pasta dishes are best. However, by pre-cooking chicken, sauces and pasta and storing them separately, you can start this exquisite dish right away. Then reheat everything before assembling and serving. Homemade pesto can be made a week in advance.
Offering and storage procedures
Fortunately, if you have leftovers, this dish will be stored in the fridge for 4 days and reheated beautifully. It is recommended to reheat in a saucepan over low heat. To keep the sauce creamy, it is advisable to add a splash of milk or chicken broth.
If you need a simple dinner option, you can freeze it for 3-4 months and thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
absolutely! Try grated mozzarella cheese or fontina instead of parmesan cheese. It’s a little sweeter than Parmesan cheese, but Asiago is also delicious.
Plague tends to be high in calories and fat because it contains ingredients such as nuts, cheese and olive oil. However, most of the fat contained in it is considered to be healthier. In addition, fresh herbs, olive oil and nuts are good for heart health and are rich in antioxidants.
In addition to being a welcome addition to pasta dishes, pesto can be mixed with dips, served with pizza instead of tomato sauce, or spread on sandwiches or flatbreads. Talk about versatility!
What to serve with chicken pesto pasta
For a quick supper, I offer it fresh and unfriendly No bread paste Simple yet elegant Tossed salad Also Cucumber tomato salad..Or, for a lot of people, I whiplash some Homemade garlic bread When Sauteed Brussels sprouts When mushroom On the side.
Better pasta recipes to try
Do you like pasta? There are other options for making your weekday evening meal quick and delicious.
- Salmon pasta
- Taco pasta
- Creamy mushroom pasta
- Spicy shrimp spinach pasta
- Cajun chicken pasta
- Patti LaBelle macaroni and cheese
Conclusion
With an appetizing aroma and a cheesy herbal flavor, this chicken pesto pasta is guaranteed to please the crowd. Are you hungry for recipes that can save you more time? Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. ❤️
See how to make
Chicken pesto pasta
A soft penne topped with creamy harvey pesto sauce and topped with perfectly seasoned grilled chicken. This dish makes any weekday meal special! With its sacred taste and minimal preparation time, all of this chicken pesto pasta is a big win!
Preparation: Ten Minutes
cooking: twenty five Minutes
total: 35 Minutes
Instructions
-
Boil the pasta according to the package description or al dente. Reserve around the cup to drain the water. Save it.
-
Salt the chicken breast and then season with Italian seasoning. Or use only salt and pepper.
-
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or frying pan over medium heat until hot, then add chicken and brown on both sides for 4-5 minutes to achieve a uniform brown color. Gently remove the chicken and set it aside.
-
Add butter to the same frying pan over medium heat until melted, then add onions, garlic and thyme. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are wilted.
-
Put the flour in a whisk and simmer on medium to low heat for about 1 minute.
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Pour the cream and add the chicken, soup and cream with a whisk. When it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes (or until the sauce is low and thick).
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Add pesto, parmesan cheese and pepper flakes (optional).
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Continue cooking pasta, stir and coat. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water. Remove from the heat.
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Topped with chicken breast and garnished with chopped basil.
Tips and cautions:
- You can use any pasta, but short pastas such as penne, fusilli, and bowtie are most effective because they hold a bite-sized creamy sauce better than other pastas.
- The recipe requires you to cook raw chicken breast, but even leftover cooked chicken and even rotisserie chicken purchased in the store are great options to save time. Just cut it into bite-sized pieces, put it in pasta and heat it!
- If you don’t rinse the pasta after cooking, it will become more sticky and help the pasta absorb more of its delicious sauce!
- Please note that nutritional information is approximate and can vary significantly depending on the product used in the recipe.
Nutritional composition table:
Serving: 250g| calorie: 509kcal (twenty five%)| carbohydrate: 60g (20%)| protein: 19 19g (38%)| thick: twenty twog (34%)| Saturated fat: 11 11g (69%)| Polyunsaturated fat: 2g| One unsaturated fat: 8g| Trans fat: 1g| cholesterol: 46mg mg (15%)| sodium: 293mg mg (13%)| potassium: 440mg mg (13%)| fiber: 3g (13%)| sugar: 6g (7%)| Vitamin A: 651IU (13%)| Vitamin C: Fivemg mg (6%)| calcium: 270mg mg (27%)| iron: 3mg mg (17%)
