Chicken pesto pasta. This delicious and easy to make homemade pesto with pasta dinner is a perfect family meal for busy weeknights.
Folks, if you're looking for a super quick and easy recipe for dinner then this chicken pesto pasta fits that bill perfectly.
It doesn't need too many ingredients and it's ready in just 30 minutes.
This delicious creamy pesto pasta dish is full of flavour.
It's creamy tasting, filling and you'll love the chunks of chicken in it too.
However what really makes this dish great is the homemade creamy pesto sauce.
Now you could buy a jar of pesto from your supermarket for this pesto chicken pasta recipe instead of making the pesto in the recipe below.
That would cut down on your prep time meaning you could actually have this chicken pesto pasta recipe on the table in just 20 minutes.
But we all know that homemade is best don't we?
However if you do opt for the supermarket version then be sure to check out the added ingredients, fat and calories on the label.
You could end up serving a dish that's loaded with additives. Unlike this healthy pesto pasta recipe.
And that would also mean the nutritional label below would be invalid.
I think that when most of us think of the ultimate comfort food we think of pasta don't we?
It's got to be one of the most popular hearty and feel good foods.
Why wouldn't it be when it's easy to make and at the end of the day it's all that's needed to satisfy hunger?
There's plenty of microwave and oven baked pasta meals readily available for you to grab in your supermarket.
The problem is that they are often loaded with calories and fat.
Why not take a little more time to create your own pasta dinner with this easy chicken pesto pasta recipe?
Your family and your waistline will ultimately thank you for it!
This creamy pesto chicken pasta is a perfect easy weeknight meal.
It takes just 30 minutes to prepare this easy dinner option using just a handful of ingredients.
It's a great recipe for the whole family and easily customisable too!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Fresh Basil Leaves
- Pine Nuts
- Cloves Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Parmesan Cheese
- Freshly Ground Salt And Black Pepper
- Penne Pasta
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Breasts
- Mixed Ground Herbs
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Fresh Basil Leaves - essential to make the homemade basil pesto.
- Pine Nuts
- Cloves Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Parmesan Cheese - you can use an alternative hard cheese.
- Freshly Ground Salt And Black Pepper
- Penne Pasta - I use penne pasta but you can substitute with other pastas. See my FAQ's below for other pasta suggestions.
- Olive Oil - an ordinary cooking olive oil is fine.
- Chicken Breasts - I use skinless chicken breast. You could use leftover roast chicken, boneless skinless chicken thighs or rotisserie chicken.
- Mixed Ground Herbs
Why This Is A Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
- This is a chicken pesto pasta no cream recipe. No double cream / heavy cream is used.
- It's made from fresh basil, pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil all of which are all said to be heart healthy.
- Chicken is a lean white meat. It's high in protein and as we use the breast it's the leanest part of a chicken.
- Making your own home made pesto means there are no artificial ingredients added.
So as I mentioned earlier you can use a jar of pesto sauce or make your own creamy sauce instead. Here's how :-
How To Make Homemade Pesto (Easy!)
- In a food processor, blitz the basil leaves, then add the pine nuts and garlic and blitz again. Otherwise use a pestle and mortar, or sturdy bowl and the end of a rolling pin to bash the basil leaves into a pulp first, then add the pine nuts and garlic and bash them all together into a pulp.
- Remove the ingredients into a separate bowl, add the lemon juice, oil, and the Parmesan cheese, mix all together. Season the basil pesto sauce to taste.
How To Make Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the packet instructions. Drain and reserve 3 -4 tablespoons of the pasta water.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, gently heat the oil in a large pan / large skillet then add the chicken and mixed herbs. Cooking, stirring occasionally for 6 - 7 minutes until cooked through.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the drained pasta and the homemade pesto. Combining well. Add required amount of the reserved pasta water if pesto sauce is too thick.
- Season to taste.
FAQ's
What Type Of Pasta Should I Use?
I've used penna pasta here but you could substitute that with other types of tube shaped pasta like rigatoni. Farfalle or rotini would be suitable too.
What To Serve With Chicken Pesto Pasta?
If you want to add some vegetables to the recipe then you could add some broccoli florets to the pasta while it's cooking. You could stir some cherry tomatoes in at the end as a great addition just before serving. Otherwise as this is quite a filling family favorite just serve it with a fresh salad or some garlic bread.
What Are The Chicken Pesto Pasta Calories?
559 calories per serving.
How To Store Leftovers?
Leftover can be stored in an airtight container for 2 - 3 days in the fridge.
Can You Freeze This?
Yes. Allow to cool completely first then portion any leftovers into individual containers.
How To Reheat?
This is best reheated on the stove gently in a saucepan over a low heat.
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Other Popular Pasta Recipes You Might Also Like
- Tagliatelle with home-made pesto recipe is an easy step by step guide for how to make your own tagliatelle and your own home-made pesto.
- Pesto chicken tagliatelle is a fantastic 20-minute budget recipe just bursting with flavour. This easy pasta dinner makes for a comforting and filling weeknight family meal!
- Chicken broccoli stilton pasta bake is a delicious easy family meal. It’s relatively healthy, low cost and can be on the table in less than an hour. An excellent quick healthy meal!
Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Homemade Pesto: -
- 40 g fresh basil leaves
- 45 g lightly toasted pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 25 g grated parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
For the Pasta and Chicken: -
- 200 g penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 400 g chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks
- ½ teaspoon mixed herbs
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
Instructions
For the Homemade Pesto: -
- If you have a food processor, blitz the basil leaves, then add the pine nuts and garlic and blitz again.
- If you do not have a food processor, use a pestle and mortar, or sturdy bowl and the end of a rolling pin to bash the basil leaves into a pulp first, then add the pine nuts and garlic and bash them all together into a pulp.
- Remove the ingredients into a separate bowl, add the lemon juice, oil, and the Parmesan cheese, mix all together. Season to taste
For the Pasta and Chicken: -
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain and reserve 3 -4 tablespoon of the cooking water.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, gently heat the oil in a large pan / skillet then add the chicken and mixed herbs. Cooking, stirring occasionally for 6 - 7 minutes until cooked through.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the drained pasta and the homemade pesto. Combining well. Add required amount of the reserved cooking water if pesto sauce is too thick.
- Season to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Label
Nutritional information provided below is calculated using paid for online tools and the exact ingredients and quantities used above.
Rate The Recipe
If you’ve made this creamy chicken pesto pasta recipe, or any other recipes on Neil's Healthy Meals, then please let me know.
I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂
David @ Spiced
You make an excellent point here, Neil - pasta really is one of the ultimate comfort foods. If I think about the various comfort food dishes that I love the most, pasta is the base for probably half of them! I do love pesto pasta, and the addition of chicken is a great way to boost the protein value. Come to think of it, we haven't had pesto pasta in a while - I think it's about time to put that on the menu!
Neil
With everything going on in the world at the moment David, I just think we all need some comfort foods! This recipe is perfect as a "feel good" healthy filling dish.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
Agreed - pasta is the ultimate comfort food! Even though authentic Italian pasta and chicken don't go together, I personally love the addition of chicken. And yes to the homemade pesto sauce. I've bought few jars of pesto recently, and they were horribly (Almost obnoxiously) salty that we couldn't find any use for it.
Neil
I've never heard anyone before saying that authentic Italan pasta and chicken don't go together Ben, that's a new one to me? We have a fabulous Italian restaurant near us run by an Italian family and they have many dishes using authentic Italian homemade pasta with chicken. I'll need to ask them about your comment next time I see them! But yes unfortunately that pesto you get from the supermarkets isn't neary as good as home made!
Jeff the Chef
This wouldn't completely surprise me. Although I'm certainly no expert on anything, let along Italian food, I have read in several sources that the Italian diet isn't (or wasn't) so meat-centric, but those Italians who came to America, where meat eventually became not only abundant, but a symbol of sucess, created lots of the meat-centric dishes that we Americans consider to be "Italian." I realize you're not an American, Neil, but I wonder if this kind of idea isn't widespread. The way I think of it is that authentic Italian food is a great thing, but Italian-inspired foods of all kinds are worth celebrating.
mimi rippee
This is fabulous. I usually put pesto on pasta, or on meats, but I don't think I've put meat in the pesto pasta! Great idea!
Neil
Isn't it a super quick way to get a wholme meal Mimi? Thanks!
Laura
Neil, I've never been a fan of store-bought pesto, Ive never been able to decipher why it isn't the same as homemade. Homemade has so so much more flavor! Im not sure where the flavor goes when it's pre-made. But you're so right, there's nothing better than homemade pesto. And I love putting it on a nice pasta with some chicken! Love this recipe!
Neil
Thanks Laura. I just think it's not possible to bottle the fresh flavour of the basil when the pesto is in a jar. When you chop up basil it only seems to have a limited life before the flavour disappears.
Ron
Neil, great recipe and one we quite enjoy. I think Ben has got a valid point about pasta and chicken being served together in Italy. My memory is that if you ordered chicken, it would come at a different time as the pasta. But, with that said, I live in Sweden and we have many chicken and pasta recipe. When in Rome...
The whole reason I grow vast amounts of basil in the summer is to make pesto. I blitz the fresh summer basil with a bit of olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. Then freeze it in icecube trays, pop the frozen basil out, and pop them in a freezer bag. Then when my basil isn't growing, I can grab a few of the cubes of frozen basil and thaw them and use them to make winter pesto to put in pasta or soup.
Neil
Ah I see what you mean now about how in Italy they serve the pasta at a different time Ron. Thanks. I too grow lots of Basil in small pots on my kitchen windowsill. It seems to be one of those herbs that are pretty easy to grow at home and indoors. It can be a thirsty plant though, can't it? I should probably do what you do and freeze some in icecube trays to keep it as fresh as possible and readily available when I don't have any growing. Great idea!
Katerina
Oh yum Neil! You are so right, homemade pesto is the best. And there is something about the combination with chicken and pasta which just screams super cosy and delicious. I could honestly eat this kind of meal every day - I have no doubt it's beautifully fresh and full of flavour.
Neil
This is one of those dishes that I love serving up Katerina. You know it's just going to absolutely hit the spot! Thanks! 🙂