Chicken Pesto Pasta (20 minute meal)
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Chicken Pesto Pasta is a super easy, super yummy weeknight dinner that checks all the boxes. Your family will love it and fight over the last bowl!
Easy? Check. Uses pantry ingredients? Check Delicious? Check.
Try Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake, Pasta Florentine, Penne alla Vodka, or Boursin Pasta, too!
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
This creamy, delicious recipe was made on a whim one day using what I had in the refrigerator. Ever since then, it’s been a favorite with the family and on regular rotation in the meal plan. It’s great because it’s done in under 30 minutes! You make the pesto sauce while the pasta is cooking!
This dish is really good, really quick and really easy. This is even better the next day, and is actually really tasty COLD. Who knew?
It’s one of my favorites because it’s so adaptable. You can use leftover chicken if you have it in the fridge. Add different vegetables to round it out (steamed broccoli or sauteed red peppers are great ones to add!)
If you’re into pasta dishes, check out my Skillet Mac & Cheese or my Spaghetti Carbonara!
Why you’ll love this
- Pantry Ingredients. When I say “pantry” I mean refrigerator too. I pretty much always have these ingredients!
- Easy to make. No looking up fancy cooking terms. This is good, home cooked food with no airs and graces.
- Done in under 30 minutes. Some nights, you just don’t have time to mess around. Dinner needs to be DONE!
Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead
Ingredients:
- Pasta. Any shape will work. I like farfalle (bow ties), but shells, penne, or rigatoni are all great options.
- Chicken. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces so they cook quickly and evenly.
- Salt, pepper, and onion powder. Simple seasoning that adds flavor to the chicken. Adjust to taste.
- Tomatoes. Grape or cherry tomatoes work great, but you can also use chopped roma tomatoes. Use whatever you have on hand.
- Cream cheese. Adds creaminess to the sauce. Full fat or reduced fat both work just fine.
- Milk. Helps loosen the sauce and make it smooth. I usually use 2% or whole, but half and half works if you want it extra rich.
- Pesto. Brings all the flavor. Homemade is great, but store-bought basil pesto works perfectly for busy nights.
- Parmesan cheese. Adds a salty, savory finish and helps bring everything together.
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How to make this recipe
This is a step-by-step photo guide. Full ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
JumpStep 1: Cook the Pasta. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
Step 2: Cook the Chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and onion powder, and heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic to the skillet, then the chicken and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through. Add the tomatoes during the last few minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Step 3: Make the Sauce
In the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, add the milk, cream cheese and pesto, whisking to melt the cream cheese and thicken the sauce.
Taste the sauce!! If you want to add more pesto, you absolutely should.
Step 3: Assemble – Chicken Pesto Pasta
Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce, and toss to combine. Add the chicken and tomatoes, and grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the top. Devour.
Kylee’s Notes
Substitutions:
- You can switch this up and use shrimp instead of chicken, or even some fish fillets as they’ll cook super fast and will taste great with the pesto.
- Roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes are a great sub for cherry tomatoes, if you have them in your pantry!
- Steamed broccoli or red peppers are also fabulous
More recipes to love
More delicious chicken recipes:
- Lemon Butter Chicken – quick and easy, and packed full of flavor. Also uses pantry ingredients!
- Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner – just season your food, and add it to a sheet pan. Dinner is DONE.
- Chicken Florentine – a great stuffed chicken with a GORGEOUS pan sauce. You’ll lick the skillet.
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Pesto Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta I use farfalle, but any shaped pasta works
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 3 ounces prepared pesto this is about 6 Tbs
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook 12 ounces pasta according to box directions. Drain, set aside
- Season 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the 2 cloves garlic (minced) to the skillet, then the chicken and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through. Add 1 cup cherry tomatoes during the last few minutes.
- Add 1 1/2 cup milk, 4 ounces cream cheese, and 3 ounces prepared pesto, and whisk to melt the cream cheese. Cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Taste the sauce, and add more pesto if you like!
- Add in the cooked and drained pasta and toss until well combined.
- Add the chicken and 1 cup cherry tomatoes over the top.
- Grate some parmesan cheese, add some fresh cracked pepper.
- Devour.
Notes
Use a digital thermometer and check your chicken in the thickest part of a piece. It needs to be 165 degrees F. Substitutions:
- You can switch this up and use shrimp instead of chicken, or even some fish fillets as they’ll cook super fast and will taste great with the pesto.
- Roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes are a great sub for cherry tomatoes, if you have them in your pantry!
- Steamed broccoli or red peppers are also fabulous
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
We love this recipe! It is one of the top requests from my kids for their lunches. I use a pound of pasta and adjust everything else. Extra pesto is so good. My daughter says she eats it really slowly to enjoy every bite!
Kyle, love your dinner recipes. Can I use fresh tomatoes from our garden instead of cherry ones? Also what white fish would you recommend using?
Hi Gwenda! You can use an kind of tomatoes you like. Red bell peppers are also fantastic.
20 minutes? With pantry staples?? YES!!! I love how you used the cream cheese and milk to make a quick and easy cream sauce – a yummy twist on typical summer pesto pasta recipes. And perfect timing to find this recipe, since I have soooo many cherry tomatoes begging to be used up! Thanks!