Name: Pesto Chicken Pasta (Family Favorite)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 small onion (chopped); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 1 lb chicken thighs or breasts (cut into 1-inch pieces); 3 cups chicken broth; 1/4 cup heavy cream or half & half; 12 ounces penne pasta; 1/3 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade); 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (more for serving)

Recipe

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Make this pesto chicken pasta when you want an epic meal that's ready to eat in just 30 minutes.

Creamy, flavorful, and tossed in vibrant pesto, this chicken pesto pasta is one of those weeknight dinners that gets devoured and you’ll make often.

a dish with rotisserie chicken pesto pasta

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Pesto chicken pasta is one of those go-to dinners I make when I have a jar of pesto in the fridge and need a dinner that everyone will devour. It’s rich, simple, and comes together in one skillet. No complaints, no leftovers.

Having pesto in the fridge to whip up easy meals is the ultimate mealtime flex, so I sometimes swap the chicken for salmon to make salmon pesto pasta, or I skip the pasta altogether and just make pesto baked chicken.

Ingredients

Onion and garlic are sautéed in a little olive oil for the base. You can use chicken breasts or thighs, cut into pieces or strips. Chicken broth, cream or half-and-half, and pesto (store-bought or homemade) make the sauce. Any pasta shape works, but penne is a favorite since its nooks catch the sauce in every bite.

large skillet filled with chicken pesto pasta

How to Make Chicken Pesto Pasta

Grab a skillet with sides or a pot and sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until they’ve softened. Then, add the chicken pieces and cook for about 5 minutes to brown them; they’ll finish cooking with the pasta. Stir in the broth, cream, and pasta, cover, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is tender. Add the pesto and Parmesan, and toss to combine.

In this recipe card, you’ll find step-by-step directions and some substitutions.

Pesto Chicken Pasta (Family Favorite)

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 30

Make this pesto chicken pasta when you want an epic meal that's ready to eat in just 30 minutes.

5 from 79 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cups chicken broth
¼ cup heavy cream or half & half
12 ounces penne pasta
⅓ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade
¼ cup parmesan cheese, more for serving

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes, add the garlic, and continue cooking until the onions have softened.
Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook, for about 5 minutes, long enough to sear on all sides.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth and cream and scrape the tidbits from the chicken left at the bottom of the pan while stirring.
Bring mixture to a boil, add the pasta, and mix to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan with the lid, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the pasta is tender.
Open the lid, stir in the pesto until incorporated and heated through. Turn off the heat, add the parmesan cheese, stir to combine, and serve.

Notes

Using gluten-free pasta will increase the cooking time by 3 to 5 minutes. Check for doneness around minute 15.
Swap the Parmesan for Pecorino, mozzarella, Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese.
Add veggies to this meal by adding a couple of handfuls of chopped spinach at the very end, when mixing in the pesto, or by adding 1 to 2 cups of broccoli florets to the skillet with the pasta.