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!

Chicken Pesto Pasta on a white bowl.

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.

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.

4 pictures showing how to make chicken pesto pasta.

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!

A pan of creamy chicken pesto pasta with a wooden spoon.
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Chicken Pesto Pasta on a white bowl.

Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

  • Author: Kristen Stevens
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

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! 

If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star review in the comments!

Scale

Ingredients

Creamy Pesto Sauce

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

Chicken Pesto 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

  1. Begin by making the pesto sauce. Put all of the ingredients into your blender and blend on high until smooth. 
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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Chicken Pesto Pasta on a white bowl with the recipe title on top of the picture.