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.
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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! :)
Just made this recipe and it was delicious! The only things I did different was I needed 2 cups of broth instead of 1.5 to get the pasta tender, and I didn’t have any sun dried tomatoes. Everything else I did exactly as the recipe said. This will definitely be one of my new favorites. Thanks!
I’m making this right now and it’s been over ten mins and my pasta isn’t cooked all the way but all the broth is gone, maybe I added too much pasta on accident :( hopefully it still turns out okay!
Absolutely delicious! I added mild peppers, sliced zucchini, broc, a tomato & sliced mushroom in addition to the spinach!
Did you saute separately then add at the same time as the spinach or do you add with the chicken?
My favorite dinner ever
Delicious I loved it definitely recommend!!!! 😋
I made this for dinner tonight. I have a bad habit of adjusting recipes as I cook before trying the recipe as is. I really tried this time. Other than boiling the pasta for 6 minutes before adding to the pot, I made this recipe as is. Turned out delicious. Husband loved it. Definitely will be in my rotation. Thank you
It was really tasty but unfortunately my chicken turned out really quite dry… I feel like I overcooked it, but I was following the recipe… anyone have any suggestions? Thanks :)
I’m sorry to hear that, Nick. You might consider lowering the heat a touch and make sure you don’t lift the lid while the dish is cooking,
Made this tonight and it was so yummy!!! Flavors were incredible even before finishing it with cracked pepper and crushed red pepper. I used banza penne so had to use an extra cup of broth and cook for another 2-3 mins. I will definitely make again…easy and delicious. Thank you so much Beth! :)
I thought it would taste quite bland as I am used to putting lots of flavouring in when I cook but OMG!! It is soooooo delicious! Thank you Beth!
Super yummy! We wanted leftovers (4 adults eating) so I doubled everything but the butter and only did a little extra on the milk. Added spinach and some diced tomatoes at the end. Easy and pretty quick for a weeknight! (Cut the chicken the night before to make it even faster!)
I forgot to get cream cheese but I have onion and chive cream cheese..would this work?! I’m nervous
I bet it would be fantastic! xoxo -Monti
Definitely not enough broth to cook the pasta. My boyfriend loved this but it wasn’t anything special for me. I’m glad we tried it!
I could make this stuff every day and my son and husband would still eat it. After making it many times, I’ve found that a little more broth is typically needed for our pasta to be fully cooked, and a little less milk for the sauce (I often just use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of half and half or cream). This is a solid recipe and it reheats well as leftovers, too.
The liquid measurements are totally off. Too much milk and broth. Had to drain it so it would be creamy.
I doubled the amount of chicken and added a bunch of grape tomatoes before putting in the milk + cheese. But kept everything else the same. The broth in the recipe worked out well, but a full cup of milk was way too much. I should’ve started with half a cup first and then added as needed. I had to simmer the excess liquid off, which overcooked the chicken. This might be the cookware that I used. I also added a splash of lemon juice at the end to offset the fat. It’s fine, not overwhelmingly tasty – would be a good crowd-pleaser at a midwestern potluck.
I don’t believe you know that milk and lemon juice shouldn’t really be combined… or that adding grape tomatoes before milk still makes the sauce a bit acidic and so it interacts with the milk. You quite literally changed the chemistry of the recipe, but you still complain that it didn’t turn out good. Next time maybe use less butter, use cooking cream or light mozzarella instead of heavy cheese, but follow the recipe.
Awesome
One of my family’s favorites! Thanks so much for such wonderful recipes!