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.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 560kcal
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Ingredients
- 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
This 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
Great 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
I make this and add different veggies each time. It’s so versatile!
mark woolley says
Made 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
Emily says
Yummers!!! I actually didn’t have Italian seasoning so I made some from scratch – 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil. Mix that together and took 1 teaspoon out for the recipe. I cut up the chicken into very small bites and only cooked it for the six minutes. Delicious!
Kaf Anim says
Amazing recipe! Easy to follow. My main ingredient was prawns. I needed new inspiration during this lockdown period and I enjoyed cooking this as a meal prep with my son. Bravo! 👏
Karen Williams says
Very tasty. Quick and easy to make. I added mushrooms, fine beans and pine nuts.
Sandra says
When would you add the mushrooms?
Ani says
I’m going to cook this meal tonight and I’ll also add mushrooms as I like them and they need to be used. I’ll add them when I’m cooking the chicken about 3 minutes before the chicken is cooked through or you could cook the mushrooms separately and then add them to the dish.
Tina says
I had pesto sauce in the cabinet and needed an idea for how to use it. This recipe was simple, quick and delicious!
I had zucchini that I needed to cook, so I chopped it into bits and added it in. We liked putting Parmesan cheese on it. Grape or cherry tomatoes would make it pretty (but I didn’t have those on hand). Thanks for the quick idea and the video!
LJB says
Fast and easy. Great way to use the abundance of homemade pesto on hand this time of year.
My husband and sons love it
Pat Barnett says
First time I tried a Pesto recipe. It came out delicious
Michelle McLaughlin says
Could you use left over cooked chicken in this recipie
Evan G Gassiot says
been doing this recipe for a while now. I’ve never actually looked up a recipe for it. Thought I would for a change. what I found works well, believe it or not, is water chestnuts, it adds a great texture to the meal. I also often add many vegetables. Whatever I have on hand, peas, zucchini, broccoli, olives, bell peppers, onions are a must, etc, etc. Thanks for the heads up on the reserved starchy liquid. I would have never thought of that!
S says
Easy and yummy. I added some store bought marinara sauce.
Linda pincombe says
I made this tonight I added a corgette and some cheese on top very delicious
AN says
I like to butterfly, season and sear my chicken breast for this one. Once rested I dice it up and toss it in with my sautéed vegetables, cooked pasta and pesto basil. I have not tried adding pasta water to it, but will give that a shot.
Luanne Kleiman says
We enjoyed this very much and I will make it again! The only change I made was to add a little garlic powder at the same time as the other seasonings.