Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta: The Perfect Dinner Idea

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Who doesn’t love pesto pasta, especially when it has a creamy texture and a rich flavor? This chicken pesto pasta is even better with the addition of chicken. Not only is it easy to make, but you also get to enjoy a restaurant-like recipe that looks super stunning. This creamy chicken pesto pasta is stir-fried chicken, farfalle pasta, and cherry tomatoes, all tossed in basil pesto and finished with parmesan cheese. Let’s find out more about this recipe below!

Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

  • One pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • ½ pound of penne pasta (buy here)
  • 1 ½ cups of chicken broth (buy here)
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 3 ounces of cream cheese (buy here)
  • 1/3 cup of basil pesto (buy here)
  • 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese (buy here)
  • Fresh pepper
  • 1 pinch of crushed red pepper (buy here)
  • 3 cups of fresh spinach (optional) (buy here)
  • ¼ cup of sliced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch pieces. Add butter to a deep skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the chicken is lightly browned on the outside.
  • While waiting for the chicken, mince the garlic and add it to the skillet with the chicken and continue to sauté for one more minute.
  • Then add raw pasta and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to dissolve any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Cover the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the stock to a boil.
  • Once the broth has fully boiled away, stir the pasta quickly, replace the lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the pasta simmer over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the stock is absorbed. Briefly stir the pasta every 2 minutes as it boils, quickly changing the lid each time.
  • When the pasta is tender and most of the stock has been absorbed, add the milk, cream cheese (cut into pieces), and pesto. Stir and cook over moderate heat until the cream cheese has completely melted into the sauce. Finally, add the grated Parmesan and stir until mixed well.
  • In case you are using them, add fresh spinach and sliced ​​sun-dried tomatoes. Stir until the spinach wilts, then remove the pasta from the heat. Coat the pasta with the freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper, and serve.


Tips for Making the Chicken Pesto

  • For the chicken, you can use leftover grilled chicken or buy grilled chicken from the supermarket.
  • Make sure to cook the chicken in a single layer so that it is golden brown. If you overcrowd the pan, the chicken can be steamed instead of sautéed.
  • You can use homemade or store-bought pesto. Store-bought pesto can save your time. Make sure to choose the pesto from the refrigerator container rather than the shelf stable variety.
  • Any type of short pasta will work, whether it’s penne, rigatoni, rotini, or fusilli.
  • While this dish is warm enough to serve alone, you can also serve it with side dishes like a simple green salad or a batch of garlic.

The Ingredients for Making Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

1. Penne Pasta

For this chicken pesto pasta to have the perfect result, you want to make sure to choose the right penne pasta. This Barilla brand offers six packs of product and 8.5 ounces per pack in pouches. This fully cooked penne pasta makes a great addition to your pantry and can be ready in just 60 seconds. It is made with only three ingredients (virgin olive oil, a dash of sea salt, and BARILLA pasta) with no GMO ingredients, making it the perfect addition for your favorite ingredients, pastas, or sauces.

2. Chicken Broth

This chicken broth is available in 12 packs of 8.25 ounces each. It is made with chicken stock, honey, sea salt, natural chicken flavor, cooked vegetable stock, spices, herbs, natural flavor, and is gluten-free with no MSG added. For the package, it is designed with an easy-to-pour feature and reseals for repeated use. This chicken broth lets you make rich flavors when cooking quinoa or rice, and you just boil them in stock with no water.

3. Basil Pesto

This is a popular Italian sauce that is known for its fragrance. As a healthy ingredient, this basil pesto is made with extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, cashew nuts, and salt. With 6.7 ounces of basil pesto in a jar, you can create so many incredible recipes, including your favorite lasagna, spaghetti, and gnocchi.

4. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Kraft’s parmesan cheese is a good option because it is made with premium quality milk. It comes in a 16-ounce shaker bottle that delivers tangy, sharp flavor to your special recipes. The product can easily be poured through the bottle opener, which is designed to create no mess. This grated parmesan cheese is great to enhance your pastas, seafood, or pizzas.

5. Cream Cheese

This is another Kraft product that comes from Philadelphia. As an iconic product, this one has been a part of many households for a long time, providing the best cream cheese spread across the country. It offers 75 ounces per unit and comes in sealed cups, offering 100 packs of product. What makes this product stand out from others is the fact that it has been around since 1872 and is still a favorite of many today.

6. Crushed Red Pepper

With 13 ounces of crushed red pepper, you can take your recipes to another level. This product is McCormick’s, which is another iconic brand that offers the best ingredients for your kitchen. It comes in a bottle, offering optimal levels of seeds and pods to give a bold taste and balanced heat. The taste is slightly fruity and has that chili pepper aroma with a consistently spicy heat. With no GMOs, you can sprinkle this ingredient into your favorite pastas, salads, pizzas, eggs, or tacos.

7. Spinach

This spinach is canned in 12 packs and offers 13.5 ounces per pack. As a popular product, this cut leaf spinach is suitable as a stand-alone side or a flavorful ingredient to add to your favorite recipes. You can mix it with your chicken pesto pasta, seafood, grilled chicken, and other vegetables, or add seasonings for extra flavor. The product itself has no artificial flavors, no GMOs, and no BPA ingredients, which makes it great for your kitchen.

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