This One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta was inspired by those little packets of powdered pasta sauce mix I always see in the grocery store. While those little packets are probably great for camping, stocking a bomb shelter, or keeping in your emergency hurricane supplies, I think regular weeknights call for something better. Better but not harder. This Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta comes together in about 25 minutes, is super luscious and creamy, and uses just a few simple ingredients. ;)
Chicken, Spinach, and Tomatoes Optional
This recipe idea started as just pasta and sauce. Because sometimes that’s all you need to be satisfied. But I like to rummage through my pantry, fridge, and freezer to find leftover ingredients that can be added to whatever I’m cooking. So I ended up with this creamy pesto chicken pasta, with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. But I ate it as just pasta and sauce during testing and it still made me do the happy chair wiggle.
What Type of Pasta Should I Use?
I used penne pasta, but bowties or rotini would also work well. Because this pasta to broth ratio is very important in one pot pastas I can’t vouch for alternative pastas like gluten-free, rice, chickpea, or even whole wheat pasta. They absorb broth differently than semolina pasta and may not work the same in this recipe.
Tips for Success with “one pot” Pastas
One pot pastas can be tricky for some because the pasta is cooked in a much smaller amount of liquid than traditional pasta cooking methods. Here are a few tips to make sure your one pot pasta cooks evenly and to the right texture:
- Make sure you’re using quality cookware. Use cookware that is thick, heavy, and transfers heat evenly. Thin cookware will leave some pasta overcooked and some pasta undercooked.
- Use a burner that is close in size to your cookware. This will help the pot heat evenly and cook the pasta evenly.
- Make sure the broth maintains a strong simmer throughout the cooking time. If it’s not simmering, the pasta will become mushy.
- Stir every few minutes to prevent sticking and make sure the pasta cooks evenly.
- Keep the pot covered to trap steam, which will help cook the pasta.
Love one pot chicken pasta recipes? Check out my One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta or One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta!
One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast ($5.56)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. penne pasta ($0.40)
- 1.5 cups chicken broth ($0.20)
- 1 cup milk ($0.32)
- 3 oz. cream cheese* ($0.29)
- 1/3 cup basil pesto ($0.73)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.44)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
Optional Add-Ins
- 3 cup fresh spinach ($0.90)
- 1/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes ($1.10)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch pieces. Add the 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 slightly browned on the outside.
- While the chicken is cooking, mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the skillet with the chicken and continue to sauté for one minute more.
- Add the uncooked pasta and chicken broth to the skillet with the chicken and garlic. Stir to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth up to a boil.
- Once the broth comes to a full boil, give the pasta a quick stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta simmer over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed. Stir the pasta briefly every two minutes as it simmers, replacing the lid quickly each time.
- Once the pasta is tender and most of the broth absorbed, add the milk, cream cheese (cut into chunks), and pesto. Stir and cook over medium heat until the cream cheese has fully melted into the sauce. Finally, add the grated Parmesan and stir until combined.
- If using, add the fresh spinach and sliced sun dried tomatoes. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then remove the pasta from the heat. Top the pasta with freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
Love one pot pasta? Check out my One Pot Meals category for more!
How to Make Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Cut one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1-inch pieces. Add 2 Tbsp butter to a deep skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté until the chicken is slightly browned on the outside. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté for one minute more. (I’m using an OXO 4-quart covered skillet)
Add 1/2 lb. uncooked penne pasta and 1.5 cups of chicken broth to the skillet. Stir briefly to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a full boil.
Once the broth comes to a full boil, give the pasta a brief stir, replace the lid, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it continue to simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the broth absorbed. Stir the pasta every two minutes or so as it simmers, replacing the lid each time.
Add 3 oz. cream cheese (cut into chunks), 1/3 cup pesto, and 1 cup milk to the skillet. Stir and cook the mixture over medium until the cream cheese has fully melted and the sauce is creamy.
Once the cream cheese has fully melted in, add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and stir to combine.
If you’re adding spinach and sun dried tomatoes, like I did, add them once the sauce is finished and stir just until the spinach has wilted, then remove the skillet from the heat.
Whether you are using spinach and sun dried tomatoes or not, finish the creamy pesto chicken pasta off with some freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. The little pops of flavor that these two bring to the dish really take it to the next level!
Dive in! :)
This looks amazing!! I have a quick question.. I don’t like to have half a bag of pasta hanging out in my pantry; I’d rather just cook it all at one time. Can I use the entire bag and just double everything else in the recipe (especially the liquid).. or will that be a recipe for disaster? If I attempt it, I will definitely use my huge pan! Thanks much and really looking forward to trying this! :)
Yes you could! Yes get a large enough pan for sure, or do two batches in two pans each. Good luck!
I’ve been serving with hot sauce for some extra spice and to cut the richness with some acid. Works well!
Good to know Nick! Thanks for sharing!
This was sooo good! I was feeling lazy last night and this was the perfect meal. I hadn’t cooked pasta with broth like that before and it turned out great.
Thank you!
Happy to hear it worked out Melissa! Thanks for sharing!
Beth – “Stocking a bomb shelter”? Gawd, yer too funny, but this will be a delightful staple in my man cave this winter. I sure appreciate the recipes you post in your blog. They are really great, healthy and economical for old people like me, economizing to save for retirement.
Thank you Maurice! ;)
If I’m omitting the chicken (I have everything else on hand), would the quantities of any of the other ingredients change?
No you should be just fine :) Enjoy!
Nice one, Beth! I didn’t have spinach (although it looks great) but sauteed & removed some asparagus snapped into bite-sized pieces in the butter before throwing the chicken in. Only thing I’d change is maybe low-sodium chick broth. Between the pesto and parm, mine was a tad salty.
But as usual, truly great recipe, instructions, and frugality. Thanks for your site! It’s a constant help in the “what’s for supper” dilemma.
Thanks for sharing Larissa!
Made this tonight. Very easy and D-LICIOUS! My pasta wasn’t quite done after 8 minutes but 10 was perfect. I didn’t have penne so used spirals, that could be why. One thing I was a tad nervous about was that the taste of pesto would be over powering. I should have known better, Beth knows her stuff! It was beautifully balanced, creamy and will be made again and again. Aside from pasta change I added more crushed red pepper (about 4 pinches total) and probably 1/2 cup more Parmesan, bc “Parmesan” people! Can’t get enough!
❤️ This recipe! Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
I forgot to note that I did add the spinach and sun dried tomatoes…both were gorgeous with the rest of the dish. I do think fresh cherry tomatoes would also taste nice
Thank you Valerie!
I made it tonight. Was amazing!
Any idea what I could use instead of the milk? We’ve got one that’s dairy free in our house.
You could swap for coconut milk that could work!
While you could potentially replace the milk with coconut milk, there are three other dairy containing ingredients in this, and I don’t think you could replace all of them without drastically changing the end result. Unfortunately with really dairy heavy recipes like this there usually isn’t a simple dairy-free swap. :(
I made this dairy free tonight with vegan pesto and vegan cream cheese from Trader Joe’s and Silk Cashew milk and it came out AMAZING.
Happy to hear it Mia!
Awesome!! Thank you for sharing your method and how it turned out! I know there are going to be a LOT of people who want to know. :)
What do you think of using regular tomato chopped up instead of the sun dried ones? It might not have that tang but my garden is still producing for a little while longer … isn’t this weather odd?
I saw an article about you in my “Food and Wine” email feed recently! Good job! I read your blog all the time and I have your cookbook too.
Thanks Katie! Yes you could use fresh from your garden. :)
Any suggestions for other veggies that will work well with or in place of the tomatoes?
You could try mushrooms!
Thanks for another great-looking recipe. Can you recommend a brand of pasta that has at least some whole grain content and tastes good?
I don’t have a particular brand of WW pasta that I use, I usually just buy whatever is available and is a good price. Be aware, though, that if you sub WW pasta for the regular pasta in this recipe you may need to increase the amount of broth used, as WW flour tends to absorb more liquid.
This looks delicious! And it seems perfect for the long-awaited fall temperatures we’re finally getting! I think this will be going on the menu for this week.
Happy to hear it Kathryn!
What would you advise substituting for chicken if someone wanted to make this vegetarian? Could I use mushrooms? Broccoli?
Mushrooms would be great with this, or you can just leave the chicken out. I don’t think it necessarily needs anything to replace it. :)
This sounds fantastic! I am wondering though why your chicken breast was so expensive?! I usually only pay $2 lb here in IA, purchasing 5 lbs or so at a time from Sam’s club or Fareway (midwest grocery.)
She has mentioned trying to buy more organic, local food and that would be why most likely.
Organic chicken is around $5-8 per pound.
More humane: $$$$.
Yep, that’s exactly the reason. :) It was organic chicken.