Chicken Pesto Pasta

This creamy chicken pesto pasta is a winning family dinner. Tender bites of chicken are mixed with your favorite pasta and smothered in an easy to make creamy pesto sauce. It's a 25-minute dinner recipe you don't want to miss!

Also be sure to check out our Italian sausage pasta recipe and our garlic butter pasta!

Chicken pesto pasta

Calling all pesto fans, we've got a recipe that you're going to love.

We've taken our all-time favorite creamy pesto sauce and added some tender seasoned chicken, pasta, a few cherry tomatoes, and some spinach to the party. It's delicious!

The pasta in the pictures is gluten-free penne, but any kind of pasta will work in this recipe. We prefer pasta that has nooks and grooves in it so that the sauce clings better. Shells, rotini, fusilli, and tortellini work great in this recipe.

READ MORE: lemon chicken pasta

How to make this chicken pesto pasta recipe

This is a simple recipe made in 3 easy steps.

1. Make the pesto. This is as simple as putting the ingredients into your blender then turning it on.
2. Cook the pasta. Easy!
3. Sauté the chicken. Cut it into pieces, season it with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then cook it in some olive oil.

Once you have your three parts ready to go, you simply mix them together with a little spinach and some cherry tomatoes.

Full recipe in the recipe card below.

Can I use store-bought pesto instead?

Technically you could use store-bought pesto, but it will change the recipe. Our pesto sauce is very creamy and with an amazing flavor that goes so well with the chicken and pasta.

If you use store-bought pesto, the result will not be creamy.

Is this a creamy chicken pesto pasta?

Yes! But we don't use any cream. Our blender pesto sauce is unbelievably creamy.

How long does chicken and pesto pasta last?

This recipe will keep well for 3-4 days in your fridge. You may want to add a small splash of water to the pasta when you reheat it to loosen the sauce.

Can I freeze chicken pesto pasta?

Yes! Because we don't use cream to make our creamy pesto sauce, you can freeze this recipe.

Simply transfer the leftovers into a freezer-safe container (We love these big reusable Stasher Bags) then freeze it for up to 3 months.

More recipes with pesto

If you love pesto, also make sure to check out these recipes!

• Creamy Pesto Chicken (dairy-free!)
• Avocado Pesto Salad Dressing
• Pesto Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes
• Pesto Hummus with Homemade Pita Chips
• Carrot Top Pesto with Oven Roasted Carrots

Popular pasta recipes

• One-Pot Pasta with Peas and Bacon
• Smoked Salmon Pasta
• Healthy Chicken Alfredo
• Mexican Pasta Salad

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Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

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This creamy chicken pesto pasta is a winning family dinner. Tender bites of chicken are mixed with your favorite pasta and smothered in an easy to make creamy pesto sauce. It's a 25-minute dinner recipe you don't want to miss! 

4 servings

Ingredients

Creamy Pesto Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup fresh basil (packed)
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh parsley (packed)
• ▢ ½ cup grated parmesan
• ▢ ¼ cup toasted cashews
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ Juice from ½ lemon
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup water

Chicken and Pasta

• ▢ 8 ounces pasta (penne is pictured)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
• ▢ 2 ounces baby spinach leaves
• ▢ 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Instructions 

• Begin by making the pesto sauce. Put all of the ingredients into your blender and blend on high until smooth. 
  1 cup fresh basil, ¼ cup fresh parsley, ½ cup grated parmesan, ¼ cup toasted cashews, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, Juice from ½ lemon, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup water
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Drain the water then return the pasta to the pot and toss with a little olive oil.
  8 ounces pasta
• While the pasta water is warming, add the oil to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, stirring a few times, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
  1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
• Add the cooked pasta, spinach, and tomatoes to the pan with the chicken. Pour the pesto sauce over top and mix everything together. Serve right away.
  2 ounces baby spinach leaves, 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 605kcal (30%), Carbohydrates: 49g (16%), Protein: 39g (78%), Fat: 28g (43%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 83mg (28%), Sodium: 782mg (34%), Potassium: 829mg (24%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 3g (3%), Vitamin A: 2295IU (46%), Vitamin C: 22mg (27%), Calcium: 205mg (21%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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