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! :)
awesome recipe as usual! i appreciate how easy it is to follow the directions, i never mess these up. you’re helping my family save money and eat really good food, you’re the best!
This was my first ever pesto dish and boy was the entire family surprised. We all loved it and cannot wait to make this again.
Delicious recipe just as written. I used Raos pesto & whole grain penne. Absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe!
3rd time I made this with prepackaged pesto. It was east and delicious! I used Buittoni pesto and it was good better than the first pesto I used that had an aftertaste. Can you suggest a different brand of pesto to try with this recipe?
I’ve used this Felippo Berio brand before and it was pretty good (and affordable).
The Raos is good too
This recipe is fabulous! I added extra garlic and no other changes. I did as suggested add baby spinach and sun dried tomatoes. We love it, I will be making this again. Thank you.
This was such a great recipe. Not only was it delish, it was really easy to make, with easy clean-up. Looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow
I absolutely love this one pot! I make it weekly for mine and my OH’s tea, with enough leftovers to box up for lunches. I once defrosted pork instead of chicken, and though, “who cares? It’s going to be lovely anyway!” It was. I’ve also used this to take a packed lunch to hospital (for my infusion), and after being microwaved for a few minutes, it was absolutely delicious! Sun dried tomatoes aren’t normally seen in the UK supermarkets, so we’ve substituted for a tin of chopped tomatoes.
I love how you can put in how many people you’re cooking for, and it’ll automatically adjust the portions.
I made this with zucchini and summer squash instead of spinach, and it was divine!
CAN I USE ALMOND MILK INSTEAD OF REAL MILK – WILL THE RECIPE TURN OUT THE SAME
Unfortunately, I think almond milk would not work very well for this recipe.
Hey! Almond milk would probably be too sweet and not thick enough, but I’ve had Oat Milk work GREAT!
Such an easy and delicious meal! After cooking many of your recipes, I’m realizing where our seasoning preferences differ, and adjust accordingly. I seasoned the chicken with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, gave it a deep sear on all sides, then cut into chunks and followed your method. Thank you for such consistently good and easy to follow recipes!
I am making this for a vegetarian who is okay with stock but not the meat. How would you like tweak? Would you still use stock? Thanks again, we love this recipe!
Yes, still use the broth, just start at the step where you’re combining the broth with the uncooked pasta. :)
This is a delicious and simple recipe! I enjoyed it thoroughly. I followed the recipe pretty much to a T except I didn’t add tomatoes or spiniach at the end. With regard to the other comments about the sauce being too thin, it definitely was not. I let the pasta sit for a minute after cooking to let it set together while I ate my salad and it turned out wonderfully creamy! This is definitely a keeper.
I am a beginner cook and this recipe turned out wonderful; I just used a taad bit more parmesan…because who doesn’t love cheese!
I am a beginner cook and this recipe turned out wonderful; I just used a taad bit more parmesan…because I love cheese!
This was a delicious dinner that I was able to put on the table fairly quickly on a week-night. My 3 year-old ate his whole bowl and asked for seconds. That alone makes this a winning recipe!