I’m all about the quick skillet meals because, let’s face it, sometimes after a long day of work you don’t really want to cook anything… but you still gotta eat. This super quick Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli combines the vibrant flavors of basil pesto with tangy cream cheese to make a deliciously rich sauce to smother the pasta, chicken, and broccoli. The pesto provides all the garlic and herbal flavor needed, so there’s no need to even dice an onion, mince garlic, or measure any herbs and spices—it’s already in the sauce! The whole dish cooks very quickly so you can have this one on the dinner table in about 30 minutes.
Can I Use a Different Pasta Shape?
Yep! Any short shaped pasta, like penne, rotini, or even macaroni will work fine for this recipe. You can use a longer type pasta, like fettuccine or linguine, but it’s a little harder to stir chunky ingredients, like the chicken and broccoli, into long pasta. Sometimes breaking it in half before cooking can help.
What Kind of Pesto Do You Use?
I used basil pesto from ALDI for this recipe because it’s super affordable. If you don’t have an ALDI store near you, Classico brand pesto and Barilla brand pesto also tend to be very affordable.
Can I Substitute the Cream Cheese?
If you’re not into cream cheese, you can make a similar creamy sauce by substituting the cream cheese with about a ½ cup heavy cream, or replace both the chicken broth and cream cheese with 1 cup half and half. The sauce will be nice and creamy, but it won’t have that tangy cream cheese flavor that some people are not a fan of. You may need to add a pinch or two of salt at the end if you’re skipping the chicken broth.
Make it a Vegetarian Creamy Pesto Pasta
This Creamy Pesto Pasta can easily be made vegetarian. Just use a little extra broccoli, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth, and you’re good to go!
Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz. bow tie pasta ($0.67)
- 8 oz. frozen broccoli florets ($1.00)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.12)
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast ($2.49)
- 1/3 cup basil pesto ($0.73)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.07)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($0.40)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once it reaches a full boil, add the pasta and continue to boil just until the pasta is tender, but still slightly firm in the center (7-8 minutes). Once the pasta is tender, add the frozen broccoli florets to the water with the pasta and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken breast into ½-inch pieces. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken and continue to cook until the outside of the chicken pieces are white, but they're still tender in the center (they will continue to cook as more ingredients are added).
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet with the chicken and allow it to heat through. Once hot, add the cream cheese (cut into small pieces) and pesto. Continue to stir and cook until the cream cheese has melted and created a smooth, creamy sauce with the pesto and chicken broth.
- Finally, add the cooked and drained pasta and broccoli to the skillet and stir to coat it in the cream sauce. If the sauce becomes too dry or thick, add another splash of chicken broth to loosen it up. Serve hot.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Use Your Leftover Pesto
Not sure what to do with the rest of the jar of pesto? Try these recipes:
How to Make Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli – Step by Step Photos
Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add 8oz. bowtie pasta and continue to boil for 7-8 minutes, or just until it’s tender with a little firmness in the center. Add ½ lb. frozen broccoli florets and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes more or just until the broccoli is tender. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, cut one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast into ½-inch chunks.
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, add the diced chicken and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the chicken is white on the outside, but still slightly tender inside (it will continue to cook as more ingredients are added). Add ½ cup chicken broth to the skillet and allow it to heat through.
Add 4oz. cream cheese (cut into small chunks) and ⅓ cup basil pesto to the skillet.
Stir and cook over medium heat until the cream cheese has melted and created a smooth sauce with the pesto and broth. The cream cheese might look a little chunky as it’s melting, but keep stirring and cooking, it will smooth out once fully melted.
Finally, add the cooked and drained pasta and broccoli to the skillet and stir until it is all coated in the creamy pesto sauce. If the sauce becomes too dry or too thick, add another splash of chicken broth to loosen it up.
And that’s that! So easy! If you like ranch flavored foods, I think this tangy, garlicky sauce almost tastes ranch-like. So yum!
Fantastic recipe! This one is going in my rotation.
My youngest said it was “bussin” (which means delicious), and my middle one said it was “good, make it again”. My oldest is off at university so I froze some leftovers to bring to her the next time I see her. My husband is keto, so he tried the sauce with chicken and said, “that’s tasty!”. That’s a huge win that EVERYONE agreed this meal is a keeper. Thanks for a great recipe!
Super delicious and flavorful!
This is one of my favourite recipes. I’ve spread it around friends and family. I also recommend adding some slices of sun dried tomatoes into the final dish!
I started trying out your recipes as a student in 2014 when I first moved out from my parents and they’ve been super helpful. I’m 28 years old now and still go back to them frequently. They’ve basically thought me how to cook!
I used Banza shells for extra protein and hot Italian sausage instead of chicken, it was so yummy!
I so did not want to cook today but real life said ” you have to eat”. I had frozen cooked & shredded chicken in the freezer, fresh baby spinach on its last legs, frozen peas, about 3 tablespoons of cream cheese, no broccoli, and a 1/4 jar of pesto. I added some red pepper flakes & a squeeze of lemon juice and we had a fabulous easy & quick meal! Thank you for making this so easy!
Super easy and delicious! I will make again and incorpore mushrooms and might sub in shrimp for the chicken.
Beth, this was 🔥🔥🔥. SO easy and SO good. I forgot to defrost a chicken breast for it so I sautéed some onions and mushrooms before adding the broth. I also stirred in chickpeas. Awesome, thank you as always.
Any suggestions on if the sauce is too thin? My basil pesto was maybe looser than yours so perhaps that was the issue. Do you think a small amount of cornstarch would help if it is too thin?
Before adding cornstarch, which could leave you with a lumpy mess, I would take the time to reduce what’s in the pan. Just keep the heat on and stir occasionally, until the pesto isn’t as loose. Once you add the cream cheese/ cream/ broth etc, stir to incorporate and allow to softly boil until the liquid has evaporated into a thicker consistency. Hope this helps! XOXO
Good flavour, but if you’re using heavy cream instead of cream cheese, you should probably reduce the amount of broth. I didn’t, and the sauce turned out very thin. I also substituted a can of cannelloni beans for the chicken. I will definitely make this recipe again, with the aforementioned adjustments.
Great recipe. My children have been asking me to make this since we first tried it. Thank you.
Also really great with shredded left over roast chicken. Makes for a really easy weeknight meal.
My kid wouldn’t eat broccoli due to intense sensory needs until this recipe. And he went for seconds!!
Amazing!! That makes me so happy to hear. :)