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.
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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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Equipment
- Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Color Cutting Boards
- Chef’s Knife
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!
Recipe sounds lovely. I will try it.
Would that be a meal for 2 people of just 1?
This recipe makes 4 servings, but of course, all appetites are different so you might just get 2 servings out of it. :)
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. :)
It was great, I cooked this for my family and they really liked it!
Great midweek meal , seriously tasty recipe. Used cream cheese with garlic and chives . Will add this to my favourites , cheers
To be honest, I was skeptical of the use of cream cheese BUT it turned out CREAMY and delish! Will definitely make again. I threw some carrots chopped into the pasta too to add a sweet edge and it was perfect. Thank you for the quick yummy recipe!
This recipe is my number one easy/quick meal. If you want to up the meat and really make the meal easy, skip the raw breast and sub in a half rotisserie chicken. A lot of grocery stores sell them at loss leader prices, so for a few cents more you can get a breast, leg, and thigh.
I used mini farfalle and a can of chickpeas instead of chicken. The small sizes made it easy to grab everything on a fork. I also used 4 oz fresh spinach instead of broccoli. A sprinkle of crushed red pepper on top is great too.
I don’t have frozen broccoli right now, do you think that frozen asparagus would work? I have all the other ingredients so I’m hopeful someone thinks it would be an acceptable substitute!
Yes, I bet that would be awesome!
It’s absolutely lovely ☺️
It sounds delicious. Is there an alternative to pesto? or would another pesto flavor work if I don’t have basil?
You can definitely use any flavor pesto. :)
Had tons of flavor. Blandness a lot of times comes from lack of sodium in the dish which brings out all the flavors. I added a good amount of salt to the sauteing chicken in the beginning. Amazing recipe.
Made my entire family happy! It tastes wonderful and I have a toddler and 2 preteens! Everyone loved it
I added a lemon and bacon to this 😋😋😋😋😋😋😋
Amazing pasta… thanks for the recipe
Not sure what I did wrong, maybe I didn’t put enough pesto in, but it ended up rather bland for me, would appreciate any help to make it more flavourful, other people seem to really love it.
Pesto can vary from brand to brand, so maybe adding a little more would help. :)
Just made this but subbed tempeh for the chicken and it was delicious!!!! Great recipe so fast and easy!
We just did this recipe subbing the chicken for mushrooms!
It’s great but I think we’ll add some frozen carrots and peas as well next time
i love soya food and thanks for this post i like this information please provide few more information about this post veg meat
Can this be frozen?
Yes it can!
It was delicious!!! My family gobbled it up! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
This recipe was absolute perfection! It was a hit with everyone in the family, which is always a tall order.
Sounds delicious will be trying it soon! But I have a question! How does 8 ounces of pasta and one chicken breast feed four people?
It’s quite a filling meal with the broccoli and the pasta does cook up quite a bit. I think you’ll be surprised. You can always adjust the servings up to fit your portion needs.
Mom, if you’ll look on your box of pasta, you’ll see that 2 oz is 1 serving of dry pasta. And the 4 oz of chicken per person in this recipe is actually a generous portion. 3 oz or 100 grams (3.3 oz) is considered a standard serving size. I like broccoli so I’ll probably be more generous with that.
It is one POUND of chicken breast, not one breast.
Creamy pesto pasta chicken broccoli looks so yummy and delicious. I love to try it.
This has been in our regular rotation for a couple years now and I wanted to pop by and let you know how grateful I am for this recipe. We’ve got two boys and one is a bit picky (but loves eggs and cheese), while the other one is allergic to eggs, dairy, some nuts and sesame. I’ve adapted this recipe using vegan cream cheese (easy to find at mainstream grocery stores to suit our kid with allergies.
All four of us love this recipe so much & look forward to it every time we stick it in our meal plan!
Wow, this one is delicious! We’re vegetarian, so no chicken and extra broccoli. I sautéed finely diced onions in the olive oil with just a pinch of red pepper flakes. Also used pappardelle pasta, which made it feel fancy. Thanks!!
Oh my goodness, this is so delicious! Tried the Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta before this dish and loved it also. Ready to try more of your recipes :)
I’ve been using your blog for about a year now for almost every dinner and I can’t believe I just made this dish this week! I wish I’d made it sooner because omg this is delicious! AND super easy! New favorite from your blog!
This was a fantastic dish… the whole family loved it. I doubled the recipe so we could have leftovers! Delicious and easy! My kind of dinner!
This recipe is simple, quick, delicious and economical. Grand slam and I thank you!! I’ll definitely make this again.
This is all 3 of my teenagers favorite recipe from you! Thank you so much. And it was super easy to thow together.
This recipe was absolute perfection! It was a hit with everyone in the family, which is always a tall order.
I’ve made this multiple times and we just love it. Bonus: It’s something my kids will eat all of the time, with different variations. Our favorite variation is rigatoni with peas. My personal favorite is cavatappi with mushrooms. Yum! I usually reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and add chicken base to it instead of the regular chicken broth.
It was delicious!!! My family gobbled it up! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
I made one and a half of the recipe. I had a little but of pasta and broccoli that didn’t fit in the skillet, so after we scooped out some servings we just mixed the rest in, fabulous and a definite keeper! Thanks again!!
I feel like I just hit the jackpot by discovering your blog!! Budget friendly, delicious, and not just run-of-the-mill recipes? Yes, this is what I’ve been looking for for awhile! I’m making this recipe tonight and I’m so excited to try more of your recipes too!! Thank you so much!!!
I am sure i have made this recipe dozens of times and it is always a winner … so creamy and the pesto gives amazing flavor!
Saving money on groceries isn’t as much of a concern for me any more, but this recipe is quick, easy, delicious and makes an ideal Sunday night dinner when I can’t be bothered with anything more elaborate.
Also, I usually leave the broccoli out and replace it with some spinach and rocket instead. Turns out just fine.
If I were looking to healthy this up a bit, what are some potential substitutes for the cream cheese? Would greek yogurt work?
Honestly, I just don’t think that flavor is close enough to the cream cheese. I probably wouldn’t use that substitution. Perhaps you can try neufchatel cheese, which is 1/3 the fat of regular cream cheese.
This was pretty dang good! We doubled the recipe and had tons left over, and I think this would be good served cold too. Will make again! Easy and tasty recipe.
Beth, this looks so good, but those little jars of pesto are *really* expensive. What herbs/spices/oil? would you substitute for the jar stuff?
My favorite “cheap” version of pesto uses parsley, garlic, lemon, and Parmesan. You can find it in this recipe. :) I hope you like it!
Thanks! Hadn’t checked that one out yet!
I’m 20 and a serious beginner in the kitchen, yet this recipe with your instructions made some thing so delicious and easy!!!! Like OMG , me and boyfriends tummy thank you so much !! Its such an awesome feeling when someone is like “Yum, can I get seconds?!” :-D
I made this today and put it in the fridge. I tasted it warm and it was really good but I’m betting it’s going to be really good cold.
Surprised no one has mentioned how good this is cold… I eat it straight out of the fridge and I can’t decide whether I like it better hot or cold :)
I just made this last night – it was so delicious! I’m allergic to nuts so I can rarely eat pesto but that brand of pesto sauce you recommended does not have any nuts!! So pleased that I could finally enjoy a pesto dish and it tasted so great.
Made this dish tonight. It was really good! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
This dish was AWESOME! I added sun-dried tomatoes to it. I had to stop one of my kids from going back for thirds. I’m taking leftovers to my sister tomorrow given that I called her and talked about how delicious it was. This is a keeper and will definitely be added to our dinner rotation.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used Kranksy sausage instead of chicken and peas instead of broccoli but oh man..this is going in the dinner rotation. My 4 year old absolutely loved it also.
Great recipe! All of my picky eaters were very happy, and so was I.
We made this last night with zoodles instead of pasta and it was SO good. It was so good that it was hard for us to split it into 4 servings instead of eating the whole thing! (We’re a family of 2.) We managed to do it and I couldn’t wait so I ate my 2nd serving today for lunch and it was just as good after being reheated on the stovetop.
One note: We did use the whole package of cream cheese instead of half. I think it was totally worth it. It made it almost like a pesto alfredo, consistency-wise.
Thanks for the killer recipe Beth, and for your awesome website!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome! Thank you so much for this site I’ve been using it a lot since I’ve been living on my own in college and having to cook for myself. Can’t wait for new recipes!
Doubled the recipe, ate it happily for three days.
This is great! I added frozen peas with the broccoli, and fresh cherry tomatoes and basil at the end. On leftovers, I add a squeeze of lemon for freshness. For me, the key is the cream cheese and pesto together — I never thought of doing this and it’s delicious. This is now a standard in our household. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe.
By far the best tasting and easiest basil pesto pasta recipe out there. This one is a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight and got a thumbs up from my whole family, even the picky 6 year old! Score!
I love this flippin’ recipe. Dead easy, super quick and cheap–of course! Tonight I made it with some fresh broccoli that was about to go bad and a bag of frozen shredded chicken made for some of your other recipes. I was standing in the kitchen for probably two minutes total and spent the other ten minutes on my computer, waiting for the cooking to finish. An amazing recipe and the one I always recommend to people new to BB.
Excellent recipe – I substituted salmon for chicken and added some frozen peas as well as a few cloves of garlic, sprinkles of chili pepper, and a lemon’s worth of zest and juice.
Tasted amazing :)
I made this for dinner tonight and it is DELICIOUS!! Thank you so much for great recipes that save me some green!
First of all, this recipe was so tasty…..in the words of my 5 year old son, after finishing his plate and have been given the okay to go get a dessert, “Nah. I want more of the pasta instead! It’s YUMMY!”. If a 5 year old passes over dessert to eat more pesto pasta, it’s really good! ;-)
Secondly, this made enough for my family of 4 to eat AND have leftovers for my fiance for dinner tomorrow.
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing it with everyone!
Didn’t have any chicken thawed out, so I just went without and added extra broccoli like you suggested. Absolutely loved it.
This was so good Beth! And just so easy. Can’t wait to try your other recipes. Will keep you posted :)
This recipe is so easy and very tasty. This one is a keeper!!
Thanks!!
Hello I just found this page yesterday night and found this delicious recipe had everything in my regrigerator and recently finished cooking this pasta now I just have to wait for my husband to come home to try this definitely going to be using you’re recipes from now on
Great recipe! Simple and delicious. I added some cherry tomatoes to the mix at the end and they were a nice addition. Thanks for another great one!
Super recipe. While it is super easy, it was great to have step-by-step pictures, since I am a novice cook. I would recommend using low-fat cream cheese and I’ve added some mushrooms and onions as well. Thank you!
Trying this tonight with fresh roasted asparagus -finally on sale-and spicy chicken sausage. Thanks for the inspiration!
A really tasty dish, thanks!
I’m a very novice cook so I’m always looking for easy recipes. This went really well and it tastes great!
This is so quick and easy! Thanks for sharing!
I made this tonight, and it was delicious! My husband stuffed himself with it, and I still have leftovers for me tomorrow. :)
Thank you for another delicious, easy recipe. I used fresh broccoli florets and stem pieces sliced about 1/2″. Cooked it for the last 3 minutes with the pasta. Cut down on the amount of olive oil to save “some” calories without losing too much flavor. The dish was scrumptious. My pasta crazed son loved it too.
Yum, yum, yum! Made this last night for dinner. Doubled the recipe, threw the chicken and pesto (I keep homemade cubes in the freezer) in the crockpot on low for four hours, added lowfat cream cheese, fresh garlic, four heads of roasted fresh broccoli and a box of Barilla Veggie Pasta. Five stars from husband and I for comfort food!
I made this last night as an alternative to eating out and my boyfriend LOVED it!! So did I, for that matter. I made 1.5x of this recipe (that is, I made one and half times what the original called for) and it did take a little longer for the sauce to reduce down. It was also a little salty, but nothing a little additional cream cheese couldn’t fix! So if you’re 1.5x the recipe, be warned you may have to put in 2x the cream cheese or reduce sodium elsewhere.
Is it wrong that this dish is so delish I made it twice in one week? The second time was for guests who later texted asking for the recipe. (And I’ve heard since they can’t stop talking aobut “the pasta dinner”)
Served it p with Cesar salad, Italian bread and olive oil for dipping. Such a simple and satisfying dinner!
I’ve lost track of how many of your recipes I’ve made so far, but each and everyone of them is a hit!
Definitely delicious! Seasoning the chicken with a little salt and pepper definitely goes a long way (especially the pepper). I’m not huge on super creamy, alfredo-esque dishes but this one is a keeper! Fresh herby taste was the best part. Thank you!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Such an easy recipe, too. My picky three-year-old gobbled it up. We put it on the “make again” list. I noticed a comment above that stated that he/she hasn’t liked any of your recipes…I have tried several and they are all in my dinner rotation now. Love your site :)
I made a few tweaks to this and it was still very good. I used penne pasta, subbed the broccoli for kale, ommited the chicken broth for pasta water, and used a generous amount of fresh lemon juice and red pepper flakes for some heat.
I’m going to try this today since we’re iced in. How many will this serve and can I freeze leftovers? Thank you.
This one serves about four. It should freeze okay, although sometimes cream sauces separate a bit upon thawing (I ate mine quickly, so I didn’t end up freezing any!) :)
I made this for my husband and he said it was his favorite homemade dish he’s ever had! Thank you!!!
Was able to find the pesto at a local grocery so I it. Was very good and my 9 year old son liked it as well. Thanks for sharing!!!
So delicious and EASY! I modified a bit because I had wedges of laughing cow cheese (I used 6 cheese wedges, a bit of extra broth, and 1/2 cup of the pesto to make more sauce, because I had 1.5lbs of chicken and a 12oz bag of broccoli).
Just FYI with those amounts of ingredients that I used, it makes 4 BIG portions for around 600 calories each!
We make a similar dish we jokingly call “Perfect poultry pesto pasta”… lol. I just add a jar of whatever alfredo sauce is on sale to the pesto and do everything else exactly the same. (I’m cooking for 7, so my quantities are about double yours.) It turns out creamy and delicious, and not quite as tangy as cream cheese does… and still quite inexpensive.
is this good for leftovers for the next day?
I enjoyed it :)
To make it vegetarian, should I just heat the vegetable broth in a separate skillet and then add the pesto and cream cheese? This looks delicious and I’m looking forward to trying it.
You can just use one skillet. Heat the vegetable broth in the skillet, then whisk in the pesto and cream cheese. After they’re incorporated, add the pasta and broccoli.
I made this tonight for this first time and it was a hit in my house. thanks for your great recipe can’t wait to try more.
Oh, I forgot to rate it. :)
I can barely boil water and I tried making this for my family tonight. It is part of my new year’s resolution to cook more (so my daughter doesn’t grow up on tv dinners) and this was AMAZING. Usually I overcook chicken/meat and I think because of adding the broth directly to the pan it was nice and juicy. Thank you so much for helping a failed cook like me make something tasty for once. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
Made this for a last minute gathering among friends and was great! Very simple and FAST!! I deglazed with wine rather than stock and was still delicious!!
I tried this recipe last night and LOVED it! It was simple and fun to make– not to mention QUICK (for once — most recipes usually take way longer than specified). I thought it was yummy enough for such a quick and cheap fix – I will definitely make this again! YUM. I also love pesto — and cutting the chicken super thin made it very tender and easy to cook. I also like that I only had a few dishes and utensils to clean after.
This is now the 4th recipe I have tried on here. This was very disappointing. Believe it or not – this is maybe the 2nd negative review I have ever written about anything online and I’ve been cooking from online sites for years. While I admire you and give you kudos for your bravery at the attempt, I have to say I found this and the other dishes to completely lack flavor (not to mention some aren’t the healthiest options). Even more still, I am shocked at the number of people (and your allowance of) who rate your recipes when they clearly state in the comments “it looks good” but, they have never actually made it. I’d like my money back. A pizza at whole foods on a Friday would have cost less. Though I did find this recipe bland, my review is more so a complete review of all recipes I tried from the site (I hate to be mean but, I feel compelled to speak out on this one). You may choose to delete this but, hopefully you consider it as a means for a change. In my opinion, for what it’s worth, this site would be more aptly named base recipe bytes. Add your own flavor.
Considering all the positive reviews, have you considered the fact that you just have bad taste in food? You’d like your money back? The recipe is free. At no point are they advertised as super healthy either. Nice comment just to link to your own lame blog.
Hi! Loved this recipe!! I found it salty , do you have an tricks I am going to look for a low sodium chicken broth next time, have you ever seen a low sodium pesto?
I haven’t seen any low sodium pesto, but I wish there was! The pesto I use is pretty salty, too. Low sodium chicken broth should definitely help.
Out of cream cheese. Do u think a fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt can work for a replacement?
I think I would try the greek yogurt, although it is a bit more sour than cream cheese. It will be decidedly less creamy, though.
Fantastic! I dont eat chicken so i subbed mushrooms, artichoke, and sun dried tomatoes in its place! So easy and sooo good!
Hi,
What step did you sub the mushrooms and artichoke in? Or how did you cook it? I am like a newborn in the cooking world. Adding those sound delicious but I am not sure when/how to!
Looks good! Going to try it right now. Had to look up “half an half” though. ;)
greetings from europe
Another easy delicious recipe! Thank you. I made my own pesto which allowed me to use some basil I had that was going to endup going bad on me. It’s so nice not to waste any food!
We used whole wheat penne that we had on hand.
I just made this and I am so happy with the end result. It tastes so delicious and I can’t wait to try it again with shrimp instead of the chicken. I doubled all of the ingredients and it still came out perfectly
I’m so happy to find your site! I think I’ve pinned most of your recipes at this point. Have made one and it was both easy and outstanding in flavor! Thanks for all the great ideas : ) Couldn’t help but notice the bicycle link. Are you a biker too?
Bicycle link? Was it an ad? Google tailors the ads to whoever is looking at the page, so if you’re a biker it will definitely show you some bicycle ads. ;)
Yum! I made and froze a ton of pesto this summer so I must try this. But I may end up subbing green beans for broccoli because I also froze a ton of those! Won’t be the same but should still be good.
I made a few tweaks to this, but it still turned out delicious! I used kale instead of broccoli, opted out of the chicken broth and added beau monde seasoning to the chicken.
Like the previous comment, we too made this using leftover turkey. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Neat, I just made something like this with leftover turkey! I even use the same pesto!
I really liked this, it was a great quick pasta dish. Thanksgiving may have been last month up here in Canuck-land but you still gotta appreciate a simple dish.
Though I have enough pesto and cream cheese leftover to make another batch, and I’m wondering if I just made the sauce on its own (pesto, broth, and cream cheese) would it freeze well for future use?
I’m not sure how well a cream cheese based sauce would freeze. It might separate upon thawing.
Perfect for a fast week day meal.
What a great recipe, keeping this in my recipe book!
Hey Beth, my boyfriend and I love your recipes! We’ve made 6 so far and have shared them with friends. You’ve made a very busy semester a lot more affordably delicious. Me and my boyfriend joke that you are our new best friend (maybe a little creepy of us)…and we are curious- where do you live? He says you must be in NY and I said somewhere in the midwest.
Close! I grew up in Michigan, but have lived in Louisiana for the past 12 years. I’m in New Orleans. :)
This recipe could not have come at a better time! It’s perfect for this week. Just made it, and can’t wait to not have to cook again until thanksgiving!
I love brpccoli with pasta and this sounds soo good with the pesto and creamy sauce. I have tried the Classico pesto and it is super good. Trader Joe’s also has a delicious pesto that is great, too!
Yum. I usually make this pesto & cream cheese pasta with prawns and spinach instead of chicken and broccoli. You should try it as I will defo try yours. :)
Ok, thank you!
Do you think it would be good without the pesto? I don’t have any on hand. Thanks!
No, it probably will be very different. The pesto is where all of the flavor comes from in this dish (it has the garlic, herbs, parmesan, and more). I would definitely wait until you have some pesto available.
SO YUM! will give this one a try, veg style! i used to HATE pesto, but i love it now, and that’s the brand i use. if i use fresh broccoli (as it’s running relatively cheap these days and i’ve got some stocked up), how would you recommend using it?
Just chop it into florets then let it cook a little longer in the boiling pasta water (until it’s to your desired tenderness). :)
i thought that might be the solution, but wasn’t positive. thanks for clearing it up! will probably try this this week, as my grocery store has cream cheese BOGO, and i have the other stuff! thanks beth!!!!