So simple. Yet, so delicious! Chicken Pesto Pasta is chicken and penne in a basil pesto sauce.
This is one of those recipes that’s great for a busy weeknight. You only need a handful of ingredients to make it. It’s ready in under 20 minutes. And, it’s so, so good!
Just sauté some chunks of chicken breast with a little seasoning. Add prepared basil pesto and cooked pasta. And, that’s it. You’re done!
Pesto is full of flavor. Prepared pesto mainly consists of basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese. Which means, pesto is pretty high in calories and fat.
To lighten up this dish, cut back on the pesto and add some of the starchy pasta cooking water.
Watch the step by step recipe video for Chicken Pesto Pasta below.
Chicken Pesto Pasta
So simple. Yet, so delicious! Chicken Pesto Pasta is chicken and penne in a basil pesto sauce.
Watch The Recipe Video Here
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 560kcal
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 8 oz. (half a 1 pound box) penne rigate pasta
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size chunks
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup basil pesto
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to it’s package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the starchy cooking liquid.
- As the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir well to coat the chicken. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta and the pesto to the skillet with the chicken. Stir well.
- To loosen up the sauce, add some of the reserved starchy cooking liquid, if needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4th the recipe | Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.8g | Protein: 34.2g | Fat: 25.8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 2.8g
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Julie is HostessAtHeart says
April 29, 2015 at 9:58 PMThis looks exactly like a dish we had in Italy. It was so delicious that I am going to ha e to try this one!
Rerktyne says
January 20, 2018 at 12:39 PMGreat dish! I sometimes like to pour bechamel sauce on top and make a kind of freak lasagna. Dead easy and ever so traiz bong!
Tamara says
March 26, 2018 at 11:01 AMI make this and add different veggies each time. It’s so versatile!
mark woolley says
May 20, 2019 at 5:03 AMMade this meal for the wife for the first time. I wanted to try something different. To be more adventures. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, and will try out more of your recipes. Thanks.
Mark.
Mwwjoinery