This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Pasta perfection in under 30 minutes! This one-pot Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta is quick, easy, and delicious! It’s tender juicy perfectly seared chicken in a yummy Parmesan and cream cheese based basil pesto sauce that is cooked together with lots of garlic, pasta, and fresh spinach!
Easy Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
Meet the most delicious creamy pesto pasta recipe ever! Bursting with flavors of basil, garlic, and Parmesan with a subtle taste of cream cheese. It’s super tasty and easy to make! This recipe is going to become one of your favorite 30 minutes meals!
It’s a simple recipe that produces an outstanding pasta dish but doesn’t require any special techniques. The creamy pesto sauce is virtually impossible to mess up. There is no need to make a bechamel, which means no flour and no lumps. Instead, it’s made using a base of cream cheese, basil pesto, milk, and chicken stock that blends together perfectly creating a savory and delicious velvety smooth sauce that beautifully coats the pasta.
Creamy Chicken Pesto pasta is the perfect quick dinner for any weeknight or main course for a bigger family meal. The pasta is a complete meal as is or you can add a salad to start like my Caprese Salad or Mushroom Arugula Warm Salad. Then finish with a decadent Italian dessert like my Chocolate Lasagna, Tiramisu, or Ricotta Cheesecake.
Why We Love This Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Rich Creamy Deliciousness! The creamy basil pesto sauce makes this recipe! It’s so silky smooth with just the right balance of basil pesto, garlic, and cheesy flavor that perfectly coats the seared chicken and pasta with each bite.
- Quick And Easy! This recipe is a true one-pot pasta dish! The pasta and sauce are made in the same pot and cooked together leaving you with very little cleanup. It’s so simple, yet so amazing! And you can use any type of bite-size pasta you want.
- Friend and Family Favorite! Creamy Chicken Pesto pasta is one of those recipes that is really versatile! It’s an easy weeknight dinner as well as a hit at potlucks.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Olive Oil – You want to use extra virgin olive oil. Ideally, Italian and of decent quality.
- Chicken Breasts – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic cloves is the most flavorful choice. You can also use jarred garlic, yet it sometimes has an odd taste unless it was just recently opened.
- Cream Cheese – You need room-temperature cream cheese for the sauce. I’m a huge fan and always use Philadelphia brand cream cheese in all my cooking.
- Basil Pesto – You need about a cup of your favorite store-bought basil pesto.
- Milk – When making this pesto and chicken pasta I use 2% milk, but you can use half and half too. If you’re looking for a richer taste, though I don’t think it’s needed, you can sub with heavy cream.
- Chicken Broth – I use low-sodium chicken broth to control the level of salt.
- Pasta – I like to use bowtie or penne, but any shape of bite-size pasta will work such as orecchiette or rigatoni.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan adds a lovely salty cheese component to the dish. And better quality Parmesan like Reggiano will elevate the taste even more.
- Salt – No pasta dish would be complete without a touch of salt for seasoning and to bring out all the yummy layered flavors.
- Black Pepper – Fresh ground black pepper is ideal.
- Spinach – Fresh baby spinach adds flavor to the dish and a green vegetable. Frozen spinach is an option as well if you don’t have any fresh on hand. Other veggies you can use are cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, fresh basil, etc.
- Brown the chicken: Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven and then heat it over medium-high. Now, add the chicken pieces and cook for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Turn the chicken pieces from time to time so that they brown evenly on all sides, which will create more flavor.
- Start the creamy pesto sauce: Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the Dutch oven, and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Then stir in the cream cheese and pesto and cook until it’s all completely melted.
- Add the milk, broth, and pasta: Stir in the milk, chicken broth, and pasta into the melted cream cheese pesto mixture. Then bring it to a boil.
- Lower the heat and cook: Once the chicken and pasta mixture has come to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low. Then allow it to cook for about 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cheese: Once the pasta is cooked, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Then taste for salt and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the spinach: Toss in the fresh spinach and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
- Serve the pasta: Sprinkle the creamy chicken pesto pasta with more Parmesan cheese and serve warm.
What Types Of Pasta Can I Use?
I like to use bowtie or penne for this pesto chicken pasta recipe, but any bite-sized pasta will work. Other good choices are rigatoni and orecchiette. Longer noodles like spaghetti or linguine won’t cook as evenly, so I don’t suggest using them for this recipe.
Can I Use Other Types Of Cheese?
Yes! If you don’t have Parmesan cheese on hand or want to mix it up, any hard Italian cheese like Romano, Pecorino, and Grana Padano are all great choices! You could even use a combination of them for an even more layered cheese flavor.
Can I Make This Pesto Pasta Gluten-Free?
Yes! Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta of choice. But do keep in mind that the pasta should be a shape that is bite-sized for even cooking. You may also have to adjust the cooking time a bit once the pasta is added as gluten-free pasta cooking times are sometimes different from traditional pasta types with gluten.
Can I Make This Pasta Vegetarian?
Yes! Simply leave out the chicken! Or, you can replace the chicken with your preferred meat-free option. However, I do not suggest using tofu as it will just crumble into pieces. But a veggie sausage or alternative meat would be super yummy and work perfectly.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Or Shrimp?
Yes, of course! You can easily replace the boneless skinless breasts with boneless skinless thighs. Shrimp also tastes amazing with this creamy pesto pasta, but you may want to cook the shrimp in a separate pan and not with the pasta, so you don’t overcook them. Basically, make the recipe with no meat at all and then add the shrimp at the end. My Garlic Butter Shrimp would be amazing served with this dish!
Expert Tips
- Sear the chicken well. You want to turn the chicken pieces occasionally as you sear them so that they brown evenly on all sides. Doing this will add more flavor to the dish.
- Use quality ingredients. Pasta recipes tend to be very simple, so using better olive oil and Parmesan does make a difference in the final result.
- Stir to prevent sticking. Don’t forget to stir the pasta from time to time as it cooks. This will not only help it to cook more evenly, but will also prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Season at the end. Do taste your creamy chicken pesto pasta and add more salt as needed along with some freshly ground black pepper. One of the main reasons that pasta dishes turn out bland is that people don’t taste their food right before serving.
How To Store Leftover Pasta
This chicken pesto pasta will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, simply add a few tablespoons of water to add some moisture, cover it, and then pop it in the microwave or in a pan for a few minutes at a medium temperature to warm.
Other Yummy 30 Minute Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Spaghetti Carbonara
- Tomato Spinach Chicken Pasta
- One Pot Sausage Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Butter Spaghetti
- Creamy Broccoli Pasta
- Pesto Gnocchi
- Chicken Orzo Pasta Salad
- Summer Pasta Primavera
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature, cut in cubes
- ¾ cup basil pesto
- 3 cups milk 2%, or half and half
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 pound pasta such as bow tie or penne, uncooked (about 4 cups)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces fresh spinach
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven and then heat it over medium-high. Now, add the chicken pieces and cook for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Turn the chicken pieces from time to time so that they brown evenly on all sides, which will create more flavor.
- Start the creamy pesto sauce: Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the Dutch oven, and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Then stir in the cream cheese and pesto and cook until it’s all completely melted.
- Add the milk, broth, and pasta: Stir in the milk, chicken broth, and pasta into the melted cream cheese pesto mixture. Then bring it to a boil.
- Lower the heat and cook: Once the chicken and pasta mixture has come to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low. Then allow it to cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cheese: Once the pasta is cooked, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Then taste for salt and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the spinach: Toss in the fresh spinach and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
- Serve the pasta: Sprinkle the creamy chicken pesto pasta with more Parmesan cheese and serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- Sear the chicken well. You want to turn the chicken pieces occasionally as you sear them so that they brown evenly on all sides. Doing this will add more flavor to the dish.
- Use quality ingredients. Pasta recipes tend to be very simple, so using better olive oil and Parmesan does make a difference in the final result.
- Stir to prevent sticking. Don’t forget to stir the pasta from time to time as it cooks. This will not only help it to cook more evenly, but will also prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Season at the end. Do taste your creamy chicken pesto pasta and add more salt as needed along with some freshly ground black pepper. One of the main reasons that pasta dishes turn out bland is that people don’t taste their food right before serving.
