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Chicken Pesto Pasta is full of flavorful chicken and tender pasta in a creamy, cheesy pesto sauce. It’s quick and easy, coming together in under 30 minutes.
Why We Love This Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
This recipe is a family favorite and a great way to use my nut-free pesto. It’s easy to make – I just whip it up in my food processor. Serve with a side of broccoli or a copycat Olive Garden Salad for a complete meal.
It’s also…
- Fast – This pesto chicken pasta is a quick and easy 30-minute meal!
- Ultra creamy and cheesy – Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses blend together with the Pesto to make a supremely luscious sauce.
- Great for leftovers – If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, this dish reheats beautifully.
What you need
Ingredients
This recipe combines my Nut Free Pesto and a creamy cheese sauce for a truly magical dish. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples you probably already have on hand.
- Pasta – I chose penne pasta, but you can use any small-cut pasta like farfalle or rotini. You could even use fettuccine or spaghetti if you like.
- Chicken breast – You need 1 pound of chicken which is usually 2-3 chicken breasts. Chicken tenders will work too since you’re going to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Fresh garlic and Italian seasoning – for the chicken.
- Cheese sauce – Flour and butter to make a roux, chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheeses.
- Pesto – Fresh is best, and you can use one of my recipes for Nut Free Pesto or Walnut Basil Pesto. You only need about half a cup and the leftover can be added to scrambled eggs or spread on Crostini to make Pesto Bruschetta. If you need something quick, there are plenty of delicious jarred options as well.
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh basil – Optional, for garnish.
How To Make Chicken Pesto Pasta
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
This recipe is pretty easy to make as long as you follow the steps: cook the chicken, cook the pasta, make the cheese sauce, then bring it all together.
The creamy pesto sauce is similar to an Alfredo but not quite as heavy. It starts as a sort of bechamel, then Parmesan adds a nice bite while Mozzarella makes it super creamy.
- Pasta – Cook your favorite pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta really well and set it aside with the chicken.
- Chicken – Cut into bite-sized pieces and cook chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and use the same skillet for the sauce.
- Pesto Cheese Sauce – Cook melted butter with flour to make a roux, then add milk, half and half or heavy cream to thicken. Simmer, then add cheeses and pesto, stirring to melt completely.
- Finish and Serve – Combine the chicken, pasta, and sauce together in the skillet. Serve with fresh chopped basil for garnish.
What is Pesto Sauce?
Pesto sauce is traditionally made with fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese. I make mine with sunflower seeds to keep it nut-free. In place of the pine nuts, you can also use walnuts, cashews, or macadamia nuts.
I absolutely recommend making your own pesto. There are just a few ingredients and you can whip it up quickly in your food processor. Fresh really does taste so much better.
Serving Suggestions and Variations
- Add a side: With chicken, pasta, and a creamy pesto sauce, this is a pretty heavy meal. I like to serve it with a simple garden salad on the side. If I’m feeding a larger crowd, I’ll whip up a loaf of garlic bread, too.
- Add some veggies: Another option is to add some veggies to the pasta. Fresh spinach, kale, or sun-dried tomatoes could simply be added and simmered with the sauce. Or sauteed broccoli, sauteed asparagus, mushrooms, or sliced cherry tomatoes would all be fantastic.
- Adjust the cheese: I have heard from some readers that there is too much cheese in the sauce. While I don’t think you could ever have too much cheese, if you are thinking the same, try adding just half of the cheese first, then add more as desired.
Storage Tips
Storage and Freezing
Storing: Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or you can freeze them for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge when you are ready to eat.
Reheating: I recommend reheating on the stove, at a low heat and adding a couple splashes of milk to keep it creamy. You can also reheat in the microwave, gently, for 60-90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds to keep the sauce from breaking.
Recipe Tips
- Make this a meatless dish and forego the chicken.
- Use leftover or rotisserie chicken breast instead of cooking the chicken. If you do pre-cooked chicken, saute it with some garlic and Italian seasoning to give it a little flavor, just for a few minutes.
- I recommend using chicken breasts rather than thighs or dark meat, which can be a little greasy in this recipe.
- Cook chicken in a single layer so it will cook and brown evenly.
- Remove the pan from the heat when adding the pesto and cheese.
- The mozzarella can seize up if you don’t get it blended in right away. Mix quickly. You could also add the mozzarella a little at a time, stirring well to blend it in each time. Same with the parmesan.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for some more easy pasta recipes to add to your recipe box? Try these:
- One Pot Pizza Pasta
- Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta with Chicken
- Pesto Chicken Florentine
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Cacio e Pepe
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound Penne pasta about 2 ½ cups dry (half of a one pound box)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound Boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized chunks
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Chicken broth
- 1 cup Half and half or all milk/cream
- ½ cup Freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 cup Freshly shredded Mozzarella
- ½ cup Basil pesto or more, to taste
- Fresh basil for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Boil pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and olive oil, then add minced garlic, italian seasoning and diced chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper and cook until chicken is no longer pink, stirring chicken a couple of times to brown on all sides. Transfer chicken to a plate and discard any liquid in the skillet.
- Return skillet to the stove over medium heat and melt butter. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, about 3 minutes.
- Whisk in chicken broth and half & half and bring to a boil. If it begins to boil too rapidly, turn the heat down a little. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in pesto and cheeses. Add the pasta and chicken and stir to coat. **I recommend adding the cheese in small increments and mixing well with each addition, to avoid the mozzarella seizing and sticking together.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil and fresh cracked black pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
I am with Eva’s comment, I wish saw her comment was there when I first looked at this recipe! A Bag mozzarella would probably be better than fresh mozzarella and don’t give option of half and half, milk or cream. I used cream and with fresh mozzarella turn out to big whole glob of sauce. I tired to thin it out added more chicken broth and pesto…didn’t help much!
I think 1 cup mozz was too much. It turned the sauce into glue. I had to end up using more pesto. Full amount of the small har that I took 1/2 cup from to thin it out, but did not work. Turned the heat back on after adding pasta and sundried tomatoes and added more chicken stock. Probably close to a cup more. Helped thined it out a bit. Flavors are on point tho. Delicious
Hello Eva, Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your awesome feedback.
This recipe is so good! Tried it last night and it turned out amazing. I didn’t have half and half or regular milk so I used almond milk and it worked fine! Definitely will be saving this recipe to make again.
That’s so awesome Maggie! Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for the tip, we use almond milk in our house too!
I’m going to add cherry tomatoes to mine. When do you think would be the best time to add them?
I recommend cooking them separately, either in a skillet or roasting in the oven, and just stir them in at the end. Fresh would be good, too.
This is a family favourite in my house. We brown a heap of pinenuts and roast cherry tomatoes to add in the mix, too.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Rebecca.
I sautéed onion. Garlic and mushrooms with my chicken. I also grated 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 medium onion into the roux before adding my liquids.
Delucious!
Nice! Awesome feedback Mary, thanks for stopping by.
Awesome recipe!
Thank you Lisa!
Do you think I could use the Bertoli refrigerated sauce?
You can use any jarred pesto sauce that you like.
Hi! How much is the recommended serving size for this dish?
Hi Melissa, This recipe will make 4-6 decent sized portions.
Hi! I’m trying this recipe tonight because I have my bother and nephew over for dinner. So I’m making it x8. Does the 784k calories mean it’s 784 thousand calories per serving!?
No. Kcalories are 1:1 calories. It’s just a unit of measurement used by the recipe card program that determines nutritional values.
Oh my gosh, girlfriend! I’ve made at least a dozen of your recipes before and this one is OUT OF THIS WORLD, holy cow! So delicious and creamy. Can’t wait for leftovers! Thank you so much!
IG @ourcrowsnest5
Do you make your own pesto or is it jarred?
I make my own pesto usually: Nut Free Pesto
But I have also used jarred and it’s fine too.
Hello! Is the calorie count per serving? Thank you!
Yes it’s in the recipe card. It’s definitely an indulgent meal, but you cuold stretch it to feed 6 if you make the servings smaller and serve with a salad or add some veggies.
Best pesto pasta recipe
Thank you Christina!
This is my second time making it, and my family loves it. It came out delicious.
That’s awesome Elba! Thanks for stopping by.
I made this last night and it was delicious.
That’s awesome Rewari! Thanks for stopping by.
My family loved it! They loved the flavor they loved that it didn’t take long to cook. It was great, thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome Michelle! Thank you for your awesome feedback.
I somehow made mine too thick I think! It tastes great but when you try to spoon the sauce it looks like a cheese pull when you break a mozzarella stick in half. What did I do?
Hi Mackenzie. Sometimes if you don’t mix it in quickly enough, or in a clump, the mozzarella can seize up and firm back up. Try sprinkling in half at a time and stirring it in in batches.
Okay, this is ridiculously delicious. ?. It’ll be on rotation this fall and winter.
Thank you Kyla!
Absolutely delicious! I will definitely make it again! Thanks for the recipe
You are so welcome Cara! Love the feedback! Thanks for stopping by.