Chicken Pesto Pasta
This Chicken Pesto Pasta dinner is a filling dish to whip up for the whole family. Tender pasta and grilled chicken all mixed together in a homemade pesto sauce. Absolutely delish!
A COMFORTING PASTA DISH
I could seriously eat pasta every night of the week! I especially love that I can make a big batch and have leftovers that will still taste amazing for lunch the next day. This delicious Chicken Pesto Pasta dish features a creamy, fresh pesto sauce that is the perfect partner to grilled chicken and tender penne pasta. With just a few simple ingredients, this dish is sure to become a weeknight staple! Serve with a salad or your favorite veggies for a complete dinner.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I use a combination of grated parmesan and grated pecorino romano cheese. You can use just one or both as I did.
I could eat this warm or cold to be honest. I had leftovers and put them in the fridge and had some for lunch the next day without reheating and it was delicious.
Yes, absolutely. Use whatever is easiest for you.
Sure! Just omit them, no need to replace with anything else.
You absolutely can double this recipe if you’re feeding a crowd of people. It’s great to bring to potlucks or parties.
Yes, try cavatappi, bow tie, rotini or any shorter length pasta instead.
Sure! You can make this a wonderful vegetarian dish by omitting the chicken and enjoying the pesto pasta as is.
Also, if you don’t feel like making grilled chicken, try to use rotisserie or pre-cooked chicken for this recipe. If needed, purchase sliced grilled chicken in the frozen section of the store and let it thaw first. You can sometimes find bagged grilled chicken in the refrigerated section as well, near the luncheon meat.
Sure thing, you can place the chicken pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating and enjoying again.
Leftovers should be transferred to an airtight container and placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat leftovers, heat them thoroughly on a stove top over medium heat. For a creamy sauce again, consider adding a touch of heavy cream or milk when you’re reheating.
You can also reheat in the microwave, stirring in between heating bursts.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- pine nuts, fresh basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, grated parmesan cheese, grated romano cheese – these are all the ingredients for the pesto sauce. As I said above, you can certainly use store-bought but sometimes homemade makes it extra special (and flavorful!)
- penne pasta – as I stated above, you can use any similar shaped pasta. Just cook it according to the directions on the box.
- heavy cream – it really should be heavy cream, not milk.
- grilled chicken – For this recipe, you can purchase store-bought grilled chicken. I have a wonderful grilled chicken recipe though if you’d like to make it yourself.
- shredded Parmesan cheese – this is for serving and is completely optional.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PESTO PASTA
In a skillet, over low-medium heat, pour in the pine nuts. You do not need to add any oil to the skillet. Occasionally stir the pine nuts around until toasted (about 6-7 minutes). Transfer the toasted pine nuts to a plate or bowl to cool and set aside. To a blender or food processor, add basil leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse a few times until finely chopped. To the food processor or blender, add in parmesan cheese, pecorino romano cheese, toasted pine nuts, olive oil and lemon juice. Process just until combined. Don’t overmix. Set aside.
In a large pot, cook penne pasta according to package directions (until al dente). Before draining the pasta, save about ½ cup of the pasta water (set aside) then drain the pasta well. Pour the drained pasta back into the pot over low-medium heat. Pour in the pesto sauce with cooked pasta.
Pour in heavy cream and stir. Next, slowly pour in the pasta water, a little at a time, to thin the sauce. Note: this is optional. Add in the grilled chicken and stir. Heat just for a few minutes until chicken is heated through and warmed up.
Top with more parmesan cheese before serving (optional).
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
For the pesto sauce:
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup grated pecorino/romano cheese
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
To prepare the pasta:
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups sliced or roughly chopped grilled chicken
- shredded parmesan, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a skillet, over low-medium heat, pour in the pine nuts. You do not need to add any oil to the skillet. Occasionally stir the pine nuts around until toasted (about 6-7 minutes). Transfer the toasted pine nuts to a plate or bowl to cool and set aside.
- To a blender or food processor, add basil leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse a few times until finely chopped.
- To the food processor or blender, add in parmesan cheese, pecorino romano cheese, toasted pine nuts, olive oil and lemon juice. Process just until combined. Don’t overmix. Set aside.
- In a large pot, cook penne pasta according to package directions (until al dente).
- Before draining the pasta, save about ½ cup of the pasta water (set aside) then drain the pasta well.
- Pour the drained pasta back into the pot over low-medium heat.
- Pour in the pesto sauce with cooked pasta.
- Pour in heavy cream and stir.
- Next, slowly pour in the pasta water, a little at a time, to thin the sauce. Note: this is optional.
- Add in the grilled chicken and stir. Heat just for a few minutes until chicken is heated through and warmed up.
- Top with more parmesan cheese before serving (optional).
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat leftovers on the stove over medium heat, if the sauce is drying out, you can add a couple tablespoons of heavy cream or milk to make the sauce creamy again.
- If you are worried about saltiness of this dish, only add ½ teaspoon to start, then taste and adjust as necessary.
- You can make this dish with other pasta, or jarred pesto or the pesto can be made without pine nuts, so many options.
- Don’t overblend the pesto or it’ll get bitter
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
If using store bought pesto how much do I need?
Probably a whole jar (I think they are about 6 or 7 ounces) – but, of course, you should go by taste and your preference of how much pesto you like.
Another excellent recipe by a favorite cook/chef. I followed the recipe exactly except I used a jarred pesto (not brave enough to use the food processor). Loved by my husband, son and myself. Thank you for sharing.